Biography

Marcus Strickland (born 1979) burst onto the jazz scene in the early 2000s, alongside musicians like pianist Robert Glasper, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and his brother E.J. Strickland (a drummer). Early on he worked with the legendary drummer Roy Haynes, with whom he released two albums: At Last (2001), and Brotherhood (2003). After his stint with Roy Haynes, Strickland collaborated with artists like drummer Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and trumpeter Dave Douglas. Eventually Strickland founded his own record label, Strick Muzik, using it to release his album Twi-Life in 2006. The adventurous project cemented Strickland as one of jazz’s brightest rising stars, and the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll named him “Best New Artist” that same year. Much of Strickland’s recent work has been with his group ‘Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life,’ featuring Mitch Henry on keyboards, Kyle Miles on electric bass, and Charles Haynes on drums. Electronic music, soul music, Afrobeat, and hip hop all inspire the music, which Strickland and his bandmates fill with dense harmonic textures, gritty improvisations, and syncopated rhythms. Strickland identifies Black American Music as the common factor in all of his influences, and finds realizing these deep cultural connections through his work liberating.