Swinging and Rhapsodizing, in Jazz and Symphonic Style

Jazz Pianist Marcus Roberts Returns for a Double-Header, in Jazz Mode at the Lobero, and as Guest Artist with the Santa Barbara Symphony, in Gershwin Mode

By Josef Woodard Wed May 08, 2024 | 12:24pm

Marcus Roberts has made a habit of showing up in Santa Barbara, with Gershwin in tow, and that’s a good thing. The respected veteran jazz pianist, whose first Santa Barbara appearances were with the large and small bands of Wynton Marsalis, has recently become a repeat visitor as soloist with the Santa Barbara Symphony (SBS). The natural common ground is George Gershwin’s seminal and ever-popular jazz-classical creation Rhapsody in Blue.

But while the Roberts/Symphony meeting two years ago was just another performance of the classic that Roberts has made one of his house specialties, this weekend’s Rhapsody is something special — celebrating the score’s centennial. But wait, there’s more: SBS’s Rhapsody in Blue @ 100: Jazz Comes to the Symphony program also features Roberts’s fine trio — with drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Roland Guerin — joining in and also playing on the pianist’s own Gershwin tribute, Rhapsody in D.

Capping off this weekend’s symphony program, the season finale will focus on another great — if more iconoclastic — American composer Charles Ives’s Symphony No. 2.

Adding to the virtual Roberts residency in town, he will precede his shows at The Granada Theatre May 18-19 with an add-on jazz set featuring his trio in the inherently jazz-friendly space of the Lobero Theatre on May 16. The 100-year milestone is a hallmark of the Lobero show, as well, going by the thematic title Rhythm in Blue.

Gershwin’s jazz-classical triumph was not the first attempt at marrying the two musical worlds, following such important pieces as Darius Milhaud’s 1922 La Création du monde (“The Creation of the World”). But Gershwin’s Rhapsody has become the eminent go-to piece for orchestras seeking a crowd-luring jazz palette, or pianists seeking orchestral embrace.

Marcus Roberts Trio | Credit: Michiharu Ookubo

Roberts has been steeped in the music of Gershwin for much of his career, live and in the tribute albums Portraits in Blue (1995) and Gershwin for Lovers (1994), both on Columbia Records. A resolutely mainstream and history-abiding jazz artist, Roberts has also paid tribute to musical heroes Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, and Thelonious Monk. He has been releasing albums on his own J-Master label starting with 2009’s New Orleans Meets Harlem.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1963, Roberts headed north to New York City and found a career-launching association with Wynton Marsalis. Subsequently, he has carved out a multi-tiered career, including performances with and without orchestras and a dedication to education, teaching at Bard College, Florida State, and elsewhere. Encouraging young musicians is among his primary objectives.

Roberts is also blind, but he has obviously transcended hurdles, driven by artistic passion and commitment. As he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in an interview, “any disability has its disadvantages. If you’re poor, you’re concerned about money. If you’re hungry, getting food is where you’re at.

“So getting past those things in order to reach your creative potential is key. That’s how you conquer adversity — with perseverance.”

See Marcus Roberts Trio perform Rhapsody in Blue at the Lobero Theatre (33 E. Canon Perdido St.) on Thursday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m., and see Marcus Roberts in Rhapsody in Blue @ 100: Jazz Comes to the Symphony on Saturday, May 18, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 19, 3 p.m. at The Granada Theatre (1214 State St.). See lobero.org and granadasb.org.