New Afrofuturistic jazz from Marcus Strickland Twi-Life
Marcus Strickland Twi-Life Release “Amygdala”
The Universe’s Wildest Dream album
out January 13, 2023
Watch “Amygdala” short film
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
Jazz legend and Grammy-award nominated artist Marcus Stricklandreleases his latest single, “Amygdala.” To create the song, Marcus worked alongside Petra Richterová, who previously directed the music video for his single “On My Mind” featuring Bilal, Pharoahe Monch and Greg Tate. Richterová sent Marcus a silent black and white film featuring captivating dance movements from Madaline Riley. The close-ups of Madaline’s facial expressions and gestures take the viewer through a thorough range of human emotions. Marcus used the film as a blank slate to craft “Amygdala,” matching Riley’s movements with his rhythmic solos.
“‘Amygdala’-at times I feel that using the heart as a metaphor for our feelings can make us forget that emotions are a form of intelligence, so much so that they are located in the center of the brain, sandwiched between the location of our memories,” explains Marcus Strickland. “I feel emotions are the most human part about us, and serve as evidence of purpose, a divine intelligence, a creator.”
“Amygdala” is the second single to arrive from Marcus’ upcoming Twi-Life album The Universe’s Wildest Dream, out on January 13, 2023 via his own Strick Muzik. It features Strickland on soprano, alto, tenor saxes, and bass clarinet, Mitch Henryon keys, piano, and organ, Kyle Miles on bass, and album co-producer CharlesHaynes on drums. A fitting evolution from ‘People of the Sun’ and ‘Nihil Novi’, ‘The Universe’s Wildest Dream’ showcases luminous grooves that encapsulate Black World Music: a mixture of jazz, hip hop, soul, Afro-Caribbean and African Music. Dynamic, dramatic and rooted in Afrofuturism, Strickland meditates on life’s biggest questions and ideas, from technology to aliens to sustainability and race, all while emphasizing the fragility of existence and the miracle that is human life.
Strickland will celebrate his new album with January headline dates at New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club and the Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens in Miami. Stay tuned for more dates to be announced soon.
2023 MARCUS STRICKLAND TOUR DATES:
Tuesday, January 17, 2023 – New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 – New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club
Friday, January 27, 2023 – Miami, FL – Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens
The Universe’s Wildest Dream Tracklist
1. Prayer
2. Dust Ball Fantasy (feat. Lionel Loueke)
3. Bird Call
4. Matter (feat. Christie Dashiell)
5. Infinity (feat. Stimulant)
6. You and I, an Analomy
7. Amygdala
8. Joy For Jupiter
To pre-order vinyl, purchase concert tickets and Marcus Strickland merchandise, please visit bit.ly/LnkBioMarcusStrickland
ABOUT MARCUS STRICKLAND
A central fixture of New York City’s jazz scene since the 1990s, Grammy-nominated tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland continues to morph as an artist, consistently releasing tracks about relevant topics as times change. Growing up in Miami, FL hearing his identical twin brother E.J. Strickland and his lawyer father both play the drums, Strickland developed a unique familiarity with many instruments. He learned specifically about saxophone through a love for three-time Grammy-winning American saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and his early influences included Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. He received a scholarship to attend The New School and moved to New York in 1997, paving the way for his involvement in New York City’s freshly budding ‘90s jazz and hip-hop scenes. He earned his B.A. in jazz performance in 2002, and took Jazz Orchestra Ensemble with Blue Note Records veteran Charles Tolliver and Blakey Ensemble with Coltrane band double bassist Reggie Workman. Strickland launched his own label, Strick Muzik, in 2006, and was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2015. In his band, Twi-Life, which exists at the intersection of hip-hop and jazz, Strickland is a multi-instrumentalist, beat maker, and composer. After releasing his album Twi-Life on his own label in 2006, he was named “Best New Artist” in the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll. Strickland’s albums often combine many genres like hip-hop, Afro-beat, funk, jazz, rock, and jungle. He has performed consistently at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York among other legendary venues, with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Tom Harrell, Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride’s New Jawn & Chucho Valdez “La Creación,” Dave Douglas, Keyon Harrold, and Mos Def, among others. He is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Studio Music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. As a result, he splits his time between Miami and New York.
