Marcus Strickland’s Twi-Life make moves at Ronnie’s

Still a mere 44 years old, Florida-born saxophonist Marcus Strickland already wears the mantle of elder statesman for his particular brand of jazz - the kind that has emerged since the turn of the century. We are talking, of course, about the way that hip-hop has been incorporated into it. But Strickland has moved on, and nowadays his Twi-Life project seems to be headed in a direction best described as “prog”.

In case anyone regards this as a Bad Thing, it should be said that this gig was a joy. Strickland is too nuanced a musician simply to bolt the flashier components of hip-hop, or any other genre, on to his own sound. In fact there’s a large element of spiritual jazz in his playing: the soaring, passionate flights of melody enter the realm of Pharoah Sanders, as do the cosmic song titles and subject matter. Each tune was preceded by a short lecture on some topic or other, although it was mostly ecological and/or cosmic, Strickland more than once urging us to use our votes to save the planet.

The tunes were taken from his recent album The Universe’s Wildest Dream (that’s Earth, folks), along with selections from People of the Sun (2018) and Nihil Novi (2016). Two of the most enjoyable were ‘Dustbowl Fantasy’ - his lampoon of Elon Musk’s plan to colonise Mars - and the kadeidoscopic, easy-going ‘Joy for Jupiter’.

The sound was as deep as the themes: the leader’s tenor floated along on rumbling foundations: Mike King’s growling Hammond B3, the thudding bass drum of drummer Charles Haynes and the bass guitar of Dion Kerr. King, on his very first gig with this band, was outstanding, teasing a huge range of tones from the Hammond, with dramatic swirls, churchy and gothic, along with hip electric piano at other times. And all the while, Strickland’s bass clarinet sat on its stand, mysteriously unplayed.