Bass clarinetist Todd Marcus brings his Jazz Orchestra to Cachaca for one night.

Featuring: Todd Marcus (bass clarinet/compositions), Russell Kirk (alto), Jacob Yoffee (tenor), Lyle Link (alto/flute), Theljon Allen (trumpet), Alan Ferber (trombone), Joel Holmes (piano), Gavin Fallow (bass), McClenty Hunter (drums).

“Once you know who Todd Marcus is and what his music is you learn that you have found something special.  He writes beautiful music, and he and his orchestra have the magic touch…” -Music Monthly

Based in Baltimore, the Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra is a nonet comprised of 6 horns ( bass clarinet, alto saxophone/flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone) along with piano, bass, and drums. Through the group's instrumentation, compositions, and arrangements, the ensemble achieves a uniquely dark and rich texture of sound. The music often incorporates jazz with other influences from classical to middle-eastern themes but always swings hard and features strong solos from of each member in the ensemble. Throughout however, the group swings hard and showcases the strongly individualized soloing of each member in the ensemble.

Todd Marcus is critically acclaimed for expanding the language of the bass clarinet in jazz.  The bass clarinetist and composer is one of the few jazz artists worldwide to focus exclusively on use of the bass clarinet as a primary soloing instrument.  Jazz Times contributing journalist David Adler writes, “Marcus…brings a saxophonic rigor to the bass clarinet while also generating enough sonic power to front a nine-piece ensemble…With his melodic imagination and technical aptitude on an unorthodox horn, Marcus has something truly new and personal to offer.”

First exposed to jazz at the age of 20, Marcus made the switch from the more common soprano clarinet to bass clarinet and taught himself the fundamentals of jazz theory.   Despite a lack of formal jazz training, he soon began to explore composition and in 2000 began to arrange his work for a larger ensemble that would eventually evolve into the Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra.

The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra grew out of an interest to combine the broader sounds of a large jazz ensemble with the extended soloing typical of a quartet.  The group's instrumentation utilizes a 6-horn front line that includes bass clarinet, alto saxophone/flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, and trombone and uses a 3-piece rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums.  Unlike a more traditional approach that allows an ensemble’s leader to play each composition’s melody, Marcus arranges his pieces in multiple movements that attempt to harness the rich array of sounds and textures offered by the band’s full horn section.  The instrumentation and the style the compositions enable the ensemble to achieve a uniquely dark and rich texture of sound.

The Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra debut album In Pursuit of the 9th Man (Hipnotic Records) features his compositions as arranged for his band of six horns and a three-piece rhythm section.

You can also visit Todd at http://www.myspace.com/toddmarcusjazz.

Cachaça Jazz ‘n’ Samba Club is named after the potent sugarcane liquor used to make caipirinhas. 

The recently opened Cachaça offers a classy, low lit ambiance you can enjoy with late set times and cover charges much more reasonable than others in the neighborhood.  Once inside, you’ll be privy to an intimate Brazilian-themed room that boasts insanely good acoustics and three different sets at 9pm, 11pm, and 1am. The warm staff will welcome you past a narrow entry by the bar to an open space with ample seating and good stage views. Imbibe on exotic drinks such as caipiroskas and batidas de coco, but remember that a quiet policy applies during each performance.

Cachaça is located just two blocks north of Washington Square Park at 35 West 8th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, near the intersection of 8th and McDougal Streets.  Easy subway access via the West 4th Street station — walking to the very North end of the platform will bring you to within about one block of the venue.