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In 1998, Marcus Shelby's interest in composing for jazz orchestra
and his work in collaboration with the Bay Area multidisciplinary
arts organization Intersection for the Arts led him to form the
Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra. The MSJO is comprised of some of the
Bay Areas most respected and sought after young musicians. In the
last seven years, Shelby has written an extensive series of original
compositions and suites as well as orchestrated a broad survey of
arrangements from great jazz big band composers Duke Ellington,
Billy Strayhorn, Charles Mingus and Count Basie. Marcus has been
awarded two residencies with Intersection for the Arts through Theater
Communications Group and Meet the Composer and in 2000 was awarded
the Creative Work Fund grant to compose for the MSJO. The project
resulted in the recording ..The Lights... In 2002, Shelby was commissioned
by the Equal Justice Society to composer a suite for jazz orchestra
in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Port Chicago Mutiny. In
2005, Marcus received the Creative Work Fund grant to compose an
oratorio for jazz orchestra which narrates the life of Harriet Tubman.
In addition to developing commissioned works, the orchestra currently
performs at Bay Area clubs and concert venues. |
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