Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra Dazzles at The Eubie Blake Center
[Photo Credit: Efrain Ribeiro]
After about 13 minutes into the second set of a double billing held on February 28, 2026, in the cozy confines of the Eubie Blake Cultural Center in Mt. Vernon, band leader Todd Marcus and his Jazz Orchestra basked in the glow of a standing ovation. This was my first visit to this venue and my first time hearing this ensemble. Band members included Troy Roberts (tenor sax), Justin Mendez (flute & alto sax), Russell Kirk (alto sax), Alex Norris (trumpet), Javier Nero (trombone), Xavier Davis (piano), Jeff Reed (bass), and Eric Kennedy (drums).
“Yeah dude, this is one of my favorite bands,” said the man sitting next to me. He was Andrew Kreitner, a saxman and fellow Baltimore band leader. It’s heartening to hear praise from one leading man about another.
The band had just wrapped up “Horus,” a tune Marcus wrote in homage to the Egyptian deity. (Marcus is half-Egyptian through his father; hence the tribute.) It began hauntingly with the piano meticulously single-noting in sequence what sounded like a minor 11th chord. Then the horns burst in on the A-section like a cavalry. The bass vamped a bit on a hypnotic groove before Marcus took over the lead. The trombone followed suit, then drums punctuated the vibe with a rocking two-minute solo. Finally, the horns returned to conclude with a sendoff that still gives me goosebumps – it was like I had just witnessed a grand procession of a pharaoh.
After a brief pause, the band returned buzzing (literally) with “The Hive.” For the first eight bars half the horns opened with a very Henry Mancini-esque motif, while the other half simulated the busyness of a beehive by playing trills – Kennedy using a dampening plunger on the drums to great effect. This was intermingled with Marcus and Nero sharing the lead in unison. Then about two minutes in, Kirk on alto jammed on a soliloquy that sounded as vibrant as the look of the black & tan, teal-striped shirt he was sporting. Roberts on tenor then took his turn and held it down, reminding me of a Coltrane but with more spacing between the notes. Maintaining the same energy as the last, the conclusion of this tune was met with another round of extended applause.
The next, “Cairo Street Ride,” is about catching a cab in Cairo, as Marcus explained. He added that the country’s capital doesn’t have stoplights…and yet, like compositions in motion, traffic flows seamlessly. To paint a more vivid picture, the opening section of this performance featured trombone slide emulating the revving of engines while the horns played stabs that resembled rush hour honking. Backing all this, the bass laid the funkiest of lines, especially when it came to his solo. Then the trumpet shook the scene by doing his best emulation of trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard.
After “Final Days” – a piece similar to the opening tune, but mellow and down-tempo – the band ended the night with “In the Valley.” It’s the title track to Marcus’ 2022 release (which also includes “Horus” and “Cairo Street Ride”). It was inspired, as Marcus told us, by a trip he took back to his father’s homeland, for which he said he has growing appreciation as an adult. Before the grand finale, Marcus gave a shout-out to all the talented musicians sharing the stage with him.
“To all my brothers on the stage who come from further out…it’s a wonderful thing when I get to have these gentlemen together and make music,” he said, turning to his bandmates, then back to the crowd before breaking into the tune. “I hope [tonight] comes across as special.”
“Yes, it does,” exclaimed one of us.
“Yeah Todd!,” from another.
As for the performance of the piece, we were finally witness to Davis and Mendez playing out, respectively. Idiosyncratically, Mendez wrapped up his licks by removing his mouthpiece from his lips, taking a second or two before riffing once more, demonstrating in the flesh the Mozart motto: “Music is the silence between the notes.” Davis’s playing – during his solo and really throughout the night – reminded me of the venue’s namesake. And though Eubie left us long ago, I’m sure he was there in-spirit, dancing like Monk to Davis’s every melody.
After the final note, waiting for the crowd to disperse, I caught up with Marcus, introduced myself and shared how I dug the show. To my pleasant surprise, he acknowledged that he’s aware of my writing for the BJA, said he’s been keeping tabs – he also contributes to this quarterly. The North Jersey native, dressed in a cream-colored button-down underneath a navy blazer, khaki slacks and almond-brown dress shoes, has been adding charm to this town for some 30 years and counting. And while standing in front of him – I say he’s about 5’11 – you couldn’t tell he’s 50 years old. In conversation, his pale blue eyes beam as much as his music lights-up the stage. I asked him how he’s feeling after mounting three back-to-back showstopping performances.
“Well, I feel wonderful,” he replied, sounding relieved. “We had a performance last night in Frederick; before that in Philadelphia. And so, just like last night, it was such a feeling of…when you hear this, what you’re experiencing, the way you felt – that’s how I felt.”
When I told Marcus this was my first visit to the EBCC, he sounded surprised. “Oh, really?” he responded. It was a pleasing concert space, half of which was audience seating, and half dining tables, all within dimly-lit iridescent blue walls with a low-key but fully lit (and fully stocked) bar in the rear.
We were then interrupted by a woman whom he seemed to know. I heard the woman mention something about the 20th anniversary of Marcus’ album, In Pursuit of the 9th Man.
“Is it 20 years? Damn!” Marcus replied, this time himself seeming pleasantly surprised.
“One of the best albums ever!” she remarked gleefully. She was wearing glossy, candy-red lipstick. “Amazing!”
“My debut album,” Marcus turned to enlighten me.
He turned back to the woman with the red lipstick, then went on to tell her, as he did me earlier, how it’s a privilege for him to be able to rejoice in those moments when folks come up to him enthusiastically sharing their experiences hearing his music. Gratefully, I left as they continued conversing.
On my way out I heard another say, “Killin’ it!”
–By Therran Dennis
Therran Dennis is a journalist by trade and a jazz guy at heart, a vocalist and guitarist. When he’s not workshopping the next standard or scribbling verses about The Struggle, he’s keeping tabs on what’s happening in the most vibrant jazz scene in the Mid-Atlantic.