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Things to do in Jacksonvile, Fl theatre, Upcoming Concerts in Jacksonville

The Florida Theatre

Marcus Roberts

Friday, February 20, 2015 | 8pm

 

Blind since youth due to glaucoma and cataracts, Marcus Roberts attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida.  He is a successful stride pianist who celebrates classic standards and jazz traditions.

 

He began playing piano at an early age and trained under Leonidas Lipovetsky at Florida State University. In 1985, he got a break when famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis chose him as his new sideman. Roberts became a close friend and disciple of the jazz trumpeter, and collaborated with him on many projects during the ensuing years.

 

In 1988, with Marsalis' support, Roberts began releasing his own records. His albums, homages to past jazz greats, use traditional harmonies and chords with expansive tonal and melodic structure. He has become renowned as an interpreter of Monk, Ellington, Morton and Gershwin, among others.

 

In April of 2013, Roberts premiered his first piano concerto, “Spirit of the Blues: Piano Concerto in C Minor”, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The concerto integrates both the piano and an entire jazz trio with the symphony orchestra.  Roberts currently lives in Tallahassee, where he is on the faculty at the School of Music at his alma mater, Florida State University.

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