American Kaleidoscope
Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 4:00PM
Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley 101 Zellerbach Hall #4800, Berkeley, CA 94720Embark on an extraordinary symphonic voyage where vibrant melodies and cultural connections intertwine. Experience the rare harmonies of Barber's Essay for Orchestra No. 2, the jazz-infused brilliance of Johnson's Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody with the Marcus Roberts Trio, and the introspective introspections of Peter S. Shin's Relapse. Prepare for the timeless allure of Gershwin's iconic Rhapsody in Blue, a dazzling fusion of classical, jazz, and popular music. This captivating program celebrates the evolution of American music, offering a spellbinding kaleidoscope of sounds to ignite your passion for live music.
Joseph Young conductor
Barber
Essay for Orchestra No. 2
Johnson
Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody
Marcus Roberts Trio
Peter S. Shin
Relapse
Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
Marcus Roberts Trio
Free Pre-Concert Chat 1 hour before
These informative and engaging pre-concert talks offer fascinating insights into the music you are about to experience. Learn about the program’s cultural and historical context, along with guided listening. Additionally, there will be live interviews with guest artists, composers, and orchestra musicians! Music talks take place one hour before all Symphonic Series concerts, excluding the opening night concert. Admission is free to all ticket holders.
About the Artists
Marcus Roberts Trio

Marcus Roberts piano
Rodney Jordan bass
Jason Marsalis drums
The Marcus Roberts Trio – a long-term musical partnership between pianist, Marcus Roberts, the phenomenal drummer Jason Marsalis, and gifted bassist Rodney Jordan
The Marcus Roberts Trio is known for its virtuosic style and entirely new approach to jazz trio performance. While most jazz trios have the piano front and center, all members of the Marcus Roberts Trio share equally in shaping the direction of the music by changing its tempo, mood, texture, or form at any time. And they do this with lightning quick musical reflexes and creative imagination. The trio is known for having almost telepathic communication on the stage. And more than a few concert goers have been heard to say that it sounds like a lot more than three people up there on the stage!
The Marcus Roberts Trio believes in ‘letting the music take over’ and the result is a powerfully rhythmic and melodic sound that is filled with rhythmic, harmonic, and dynamic contrast. One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching this trio perform is that it is so evident that these three musicians are really having fun playing together and listening to each other.
“One way Roberts individualizes his sound is by utilizing orchestral devices initially borrowed from the Ahmad Jamal Trio. In the course of a single piece, he constantly modulates grooves, tempos and keys, plays separate time signatures with the right hand and the left, and, as he puts it, “flips around the roles of the piano, bass and drums by giving everyone an equal opportunity to develop the concepts and themes, to change the form, to get us where we’re getting ready to go.” Ted Panken, Jazziz Magazine.
Added to the logic and balanced trio style of Ahmad Jamal, is the swing and virtuosity of the Oscar Peterson Trio, combined with the buoyant joyous sound of Erroll Garner. These influences provide a rich foundation for the ever evolving and expanding sound of the Marcus Roberts Trio. The musical cues combine with musical inspiration from all over the world, which guarantees that audiences never know where this trio is heading; influences from Africa, Europe, and South Amerca are combined with American traditions to give this group an infinite palate of styles, timbres and colors to draw from.
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Berkeley Symphony musicians

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