Marcus Roberts
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Marcus Roberts (born September 7, 1963 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American jazz pianist who has achieved fame as a gifted player committed to celebrating classic standards and jazz traditions.
Blind since his youth, Roberts began playing piano at an early age and then studied the instrument while attending Florida State University. In 1985, he got his big break when famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis chose him as his new sideman. He became a close friend and disciple of Marsalis, and collaborated with him on many projects during the ensuing years.
With Marsalis' support and soon after joining him, Roberts began cutting his own records. His albums tend to be homages to past jazz greats, and Roberts has been criticized for a lack of innovation. However, his playing ability and technique have always been highly regarded and his music has added to the vocabulary of modern jazz piano and the piano trio.
In 2005, Roberts took a position as a professor of Jazz Studies at Florida State University.
Discography
- The Truth Is Spoken Here (1988)
- Deep in the Shed (1989)
- Alone with Three Giants (1990)
- Prayer for Peace (1991)
- As Serenity Approaches (1991)
- If I Could Be with You (1993)
- Gershwin for Lovers (1994)
- Portraits in Blue (1995)
- Plays Ellington (1995)
- Time and Circumstance (1996)
- Blues for the New Millennium (1997)
- The Joy of Joplin (1998)
- In Honor of Duke (1999)
- Cole after Midnight (2001)
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