Home » Jazz Musicians » Marc Cary
Marc Cary
Marc Cary stands on an unshakable reputation as pianist dedicated to the craft. His fresh styling shows his expansive vocabulary. Cary's earnest orientation towards jazz, where much of his musical foundation lies, proves that he has internalized the idiom. Take his seminal masterwork, Rhodes Ahead Vol 1., released in 2000, is considered by many to be a classic; the Fender Rhodes-laden record signifies 70s free jazz, where the electric piano was oft-times the sonic weapon of choice.
This time around, Cary is going retro and returning to a full acoustic setting. With the FOCUS Trio, featuring Samir Gupta on tabla and drums and David Ewell on bass, Cary's current vision is to bring together East Indian, West African and Native America musical traditions together in an all acoustic setting and blending it into African-American musical culture: jazz. "Jazz is the rhythmic approach I'm coming from with FOCUS Trio," explains Cary. FOCUS Trio will release Focus on Motema on June 27.
Cary has had a penchant for cross-cultural musical fertilization. He has fronted several ensembles, each one different musical directions. Indigenous People, which mixes acoustic, electric and is heavily percussive, is an group that Cary constructed in 1998 and he refers to it as the blueprint of his signature sound. Indigenous People recorded a live album in Brazil in 1999 which was positively received. Cary also leads the XR Project (Crossroads Project) which he explains as an extension of Indigenous People but with more of an underground and hip hop flavor. Crossing over additional musical territories, Cary produces house music and electronica under the handle, Marco Polo and has recently worked with Louie Vega.
Cary has been an architect of the zeitgeist that championed the organic, acoustic sound during the late 80s, early 90s. He was part of the Young Loins collective that included trumpeter Roy Hargrove, on which Cary was part of the personnel on albums like The Vibe and Hardgroove, staples in Hargrove's catalog. Cary's own discography list solo records such as 1995's Cary On, 1997's Listen and 1998's The Antidote, have been each received with critical acclaim.
Cary foray into music began with playing drums and trumpet. As a youth in Washington, D.C. he paid dues as a member of the Hi Integrity Band and Show, one of the many Go-Go bands that defined the D.C. musical scene. His family carries a musical tradition: his great-grandmother played piano at local movie houses, her partner was Eubie Blake; his mother is a visual artist and father played trumpet.
Read moreTags
Jason Marshall: New Beginnings
by Pierre Giroux
Impresario extraordinaire and multi-talented saxophonist Cory Weeds has picked up the challenge to acknowledge the contribution of black musicians to jazz music in these uncertain times. Working with trumpeter and producer Jeremy Pelt, this album New Beginnings by baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall, would be the fifth release led by a black artist for The Cellar Music Group. Although his discography may be on the slim side, Marshall's bona fides are first-rate, having studied with top-notch players ...
Continue ReadingJason Marshall: New Beginnings
by Jack Bowers
Anyone who appreciates the thunderous sound of an assertive baritone sax should love New Beginnings, an emphatic quartet date that shines a light on Jason Marshall's muscular horn and keeps it there from start to finish. While his teammates (Marc Cary, piano; Gerald Cannon, bass; Willie Jones III, drums) converse eloquently on every one of the album's eight numbers, Marshall affixes a decisive exclamation mark on every sentence. He does so with exceptional technique and a seemingly ...
Continue ReadingHow Do We Keep The Music Playing?
by La-Faithia White
While most of us across the country and overseas have been confined to our homes due to COVID-19, normal life as we once knew, has changed. Typically in April we are celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month outdoors with friends, and attending jazz concerts. Now more than ever, this is a time where we must appreciate and support jazz musicians across the globe. To date, we have lost the following musicians to COVID-19. Saxophonist Lee Konitz, pianist Ellis Marsalis, guitarist ...
Continue ReadingJD Walter: Dressed in a Song
by Victor L. Schermer
JD Walter is a consummate vocalist who has devoted himself over many years to evolving a unique style that is nevertheless ensconced in the jazz tradition. The public relations sheet for this new CD states that “this is his first release since recovering from a life-threatening heart condition and surgeries on his heart and vocal cords." It states that this is a “comeback" record. That is a misnomer. In this recording, he takes the music to new levels of structure, ...
Continue ReadingMarc Cary Focus Trio: Four Directions
by Angelo Leonardi
Dopo la bella prova in solo per ricordare Abbey Lincoln (For The Love of Abbey, Motéma 2013), Marc Cary torna al Focus trio per realizzare il quarto album della formazione. Di nuovo in studio dopo le prove live del 2008 e 2009, Cary realizza uno dei lavori più eclettici e convincenti della sua già lunga carriera, spaziando tra ambiti diversi in un percorso che risulta intenso e ricco di suggestioni. Non lontano da certe tendenze espresse col ...
Continue ReadingMarc Cary: For the Love of Abbey
by Angelo Leonardi
Marc Cary è uno dei massimi pianisti della sua generazione ma i progetti da leader che ha realizzato, a partire da Cary On -suo debutto del 1995- fino alle produzioni col Focus Trio, non hanno avuto i riconoscimenti che meritavano. Le cose sembrano andare diversamente per questo suo debutto in solo, che sta ottenendo ampia risonanza per la riflessiva profondità e la tecnica da concertista che emerge in ogni brano. Il disco è dedicato ad Abbey Lincoln, la ...
Continue ReadingMarc Cary: Focus
by John Kelman
Some artists catch an early break. Others struggle to get onto the public's radar, despite great talent and stylistic range. It's curious that keyboardist Marc Cary hasn't caught on. His work with artists including trumpeter Roy Hargrove, vibraphonist Stefon Harris and singer Abbey Lincoln suggests that he's well-respected by his peers and considered capable of just about anything. Focus introduces his four-year-old Focus Trio, and while there may be too many acoustic piano trios out there, this is one that ...
Continue ReadingIndia.arie - Ginny's - April 13! Special Acoustic Engagement!
Source:
Scott Thompson Public Relations
Ginny's Supper Club India.Arie Just Added! - Monday - April 13! Marc Cary - Album Release Party! Damien Sneed, Brianna Thomas, Michael Mwenso, Fela! & More! Ginny's Supper Club at Red Rooster - Harlem 310 Lenox Ave. (Between 125th & 126th) New York, NY 10027 Monday, April 13 INDIA.ARIE 8:00PM An intimate acoustic evening with India.Arie Celebrating her first book: ...
read more
Ginny's Supper Club - April - Marc Cary, Winard Harper & More!
Source:
Scott Thompson Public Relations
Marc Cary - Album Release Party! Winard Harper, Damien Sneed, Michael Mwenso, Fela! & More! Ginny's Supper Club at Red Rooster - Harlem 310 Lenox Ave. (Between 125th & 126th) New York, NY 10027 Phone: 212-421-3821 Thursday, March 26 DUANE EUBANKS QUINTET 7:30PM & 9:30PM Trumpeter Duane Eubanks has performed everywhere from the Hollywood Bowl to Birdland, the Kennedy Center to Europe and Japan. His highly successful musical ...
read more
Will Calhoun - "Life in This World" Album Release at the Blue Note Featuring Marc Cary and Charnett Moffett - Friday, May 17 Through Sunday, May 19
Source:
DL Media
Special Guests Donald Harrison and Nicholas Payton Drummer/percussionist Will Calhoun is set to perform at The Blue Note in New York from Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, with sets at 8:00PM and 10:30PM. The performances will serve as an album release engagement for his new project, Life In This World (available May 14 on Motéma Music). Calhoun will be joined by labelmates bassist Charnett Moffett and keyboardist Marc Cary, as well as special guest saxophonist Donald Harrison. Additionally ...
read more
Pianist Marc Cary Releases "For the Love of Abbey", June 11 on Motema Music
Source:
DL Media
A STERLING SOLO PIANO TRIBUTE TO CARY’S MENTOR AND LONGTIME EMPLOYER, THE LATE ABBEY LINCOLN View video footage of Marc Cary performing live with Abbey Lincoln Marc Cary has gained a reputation as one of the most creative pianists of our time, a bandleader with musical interests that encompass jazz, go-go, hip-hop, electronic music, Indian classical music and more. But Cary is also an incisive and sought-after accompanist, a fact famously borne out by his 12-year tenure (beginning in 1994) ...
read more
Announcing the Winners of the "Marc Cary - Focus Trio Live 2009" Contest
Source:
All About Jazz
Enter the Motema "Marc Cary - Focus Trio Live 2009" Giveaway
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz members are invited to enter the Motema Music “Marc Cary - Focus Trio Live 2009“ giveaway contest starting today. We'll select FIVE winners at the conclusion of the contest on June 5th.
Click here to enter the contest
(Following Marc Cary at AAJ automatically enters you in the contest.)
Good luck! Your Friends at Motema Music
About Marc Cary and Focus Trio Live 2009
“If you're going to learn jazz, you should have ...
read more
Pianist Marc Cary Performs with the Focus Trio on WBGO's New Music Show, the Checkout
Source:
Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
A Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival preview - Pianist Marc Cary, appearing at The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, http://www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org, performs with the Focus Trio on WBGO's new music show, The Checkout More information on the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival: The Jazz Academy of Music (501c3) Proudly Announces The 2010 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival - February 19-21, 2010 - Rockville, MD Formerly presented as The East Coast Jazz Festival midatlanticjazzfestival.org In addition to a cadre of the finest local/regional talent, artists scheduled to appear include Mulgrew Miller, ...
read more
Pianist Marc Cary Featured at Harlem Speaks May 17th 6:30PM-8:30PM. This Discussion Series is Free to the Public
Source:
Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
Marc Cary, Pianist May 17, 2007 6:30pm-8:30pm. This discussion series is free to the public New York, NY - Marc Cary is known and respected universally on the music scene as an innovative and gifted keyboardist whose musical expressions are consistently fresh, unrestrained and inspiring. Don't miss this discussion with one of the bright young stars on the jazz scene on May 17, 2007 at offices of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 East 126th Street. Cary's ...
read more
Marc Cary's Focus Trio At Sweet Rhythm Fri & Sat, August 11-12
Source:
Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
MARC CARY's FOCUS TRIO at SWEET RHYTHM
FRI & SAT, AUGUST 11+12 Sets @ 8,10 & Midnight 88 Seventh Ave. South Phone 212.255.3626
Leaping up the JazzWeek chart hitting number 12 this week with a bullet, Marc Cary is receiving overwhelmingly positive critical and audience acclaim for his new Motma release, Focus. The Focus Trio--featuring Marc Cary on piano, Sameer Gupta on drums and tablas and David Ewell on bass--is tight, right and could ...
read more
Jazz Pianist Marc Cary To Release New CD, "Focus"
Source:
All About Jazz
June 27 Release on Motema Music
Pianist, multi-keyboardist, and 'Go-Go' pioneer Marc Cary has long charted the cutting-edge on the New York scene as one of the most innovative players in Jazz, Jazztronica and Hip-Hop. Raised in Washington, DC, by a musical family with both African- and Native-American roots, the young Cary explored a variety of instruments before settling on piano as his main axe at the Duke Ellington school.
Upon graduation, he moved to NYC, began touring with Betty ...
read more
Matthew Whitaker
organ, Hammond B3Photos
Music
For Moseka
From: For the Love of AbbeyBy Marc Cary
Similar
Hank Jones
piano
Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet
Oscar Peterson
piano
Geri Allen
piano
Bill Cunliffe
piano
Tommy Flanagan
piano
Erroll Garner
piano
Fred Hersch
piano
Lynne Arriale
piano
Jason Moran
piano
Eric Reed
piano
Eubie Blake
piano
Marcin Wasilewski
piano
Dodo Marmarosa
piano
Roland Hanna
piano
Makoto Ozone
piano
Marc Cary
Location: New York City
Instrument: Piano
