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01. Michael Marcus Quartet - Mr. Monk Time
02. Michael Marcus Quartet - That Far Is Now
03. Michael Marcus Quartet - Cafe In Tehachapi
04. Michael Marcus Quartet - Zephyr Dialogues
05. Michael Marcus Quartet - Next Stop Down!
06. Michael Marcus Quartet - Mindfields In Opulence
07. Michael Marcus Quartet - Frequency Bliss
08. Michael Marcus Quartet - That Far Is Now (Reprise)
ARTIST
TITLE
Next Stop Down
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
ESPDISK 5112CD ESPDISK 5112CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
7/3/2026

After paying his dues with bluesmen Albert King and Bobby "Blue" Bland and jazzman Jaki Byard, Michael Marcus had his first album released in 1991, when he was 39. He's been prolific since then, co-leading Cosmosamatics with Sonny Simmons, SaxEmble with Frank Lowe and James Carter, Blue Reality Quartet with Joe McPhee, Warren Smith, and Jay Rosen, and Duology with Ted Daniel as well as Marcus's many albums as sole leader. Marcus had his debut on ESP with Abstractions in Lime Caverns in 2022. As Cisco Bradley writes in his liner notes, "One of the unique features of this record is Marcus's use of the tarogato. This woodwind instrument is better known for its roots in Hungarian music. The tarogato has a crisp, pure sound that allows for the precision and sensual beauty of these pieces that will leave the listener in a state of euphoria as Marcus ascends the mountains and glides across the vast valleys of these sonic landscapes." Bradley writes of the other players, "Williams, who has worked with David Murray, Cassandra Wilson, Dewey Redman, and Olu Dara in addition to making several albums of his own for Muse and elsewhere, is especially crucial in bringing to life the funky Monk concepts in these tunes. Mednard, who in recent years has established himself through associations with Guillermo Klein, Arthur Kell, Brandee Younger and others, meshes well with Rodriguez (whose credits include Alvin Batiste and Dafnis Prieto) to create tight rhythms from which these compositions and arrangements spring forth."

"Marcus joins the ranks of such visionary jazz clarinetists as Don Byron, John Carter, Jimmy Giuffre, and Perry Robinson." --All About Jazz

"Marcus writes some of the finest tunes on the avant-garde scene." --Time Out New York

"Michael Marcus is a passionate player and a fluent composer of themes that inspire improvisers." --Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe

"He plays on that Dolphy-esque knife between inside and outside that makes for joyous listening." --Ben Watson, The Wire