Marcus Shelby Quintet

“As a creator and performer, Shelby is blessed not only with a singular musicality but also with a great sense of history.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Bassist, composer, educator, and advocate Marcus Shelby is always aware of the power and purpose of the music he creates. For him, every project is an opportunity to share the pain and joy of a moment in history. Each composition is a chance for Marcus to learn about life and people, and to share this wisdom and emotion with his audience. He’s created long-form works that address topics such as Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the WWII Port Chicago munitions explosion. Rooted in the blues, even his individual compositions have meaning, in addition to being stunningly beautiful and challenging for his band members — all of whom are the top players in the Bay Area — but also inspiring them to perform at their utmost swinging abilities. 

This program highlights new music from a suite entitled Variations on a Variant, which is Marcus’ response to the social changes and pressures of the pandemic, including the increased displacement and oppression of the most vulnerable in our society, social protests and the destruction of institutional racism, and the pervasive nature of the virus. The suite includes a variety of styles and forms that evoke the diversity of emotions Marcus experienced during the shutdown.