Marlonius Jazz Orchestra and Mara Kaye: Billie Holiday and The Blues

Brooklyn’s very own irresistible vocal force, Mara Kaye and virtuosic bassist/composer Marlonius present imaginative arrangements of iconic Billie Holiday classics and deep blues cuts with the sonically vibrant Marlonius Jazz Orchestra!

This momentous phenomenon of musical fusion sheds new light onto the storied lineage of American blues music while honoring one of its most respected and beloved storytellers.

What a night!

ARTISTS:

Bassist: Marlonius

Band: Marlonius Jazz Orchestra

Vocalist: Mara Kaye

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

MARLONIUS (they/he) is a virtuoso upright bassist and composer from Los Angeles whose musical expression transcends conformity and limitation. Marlonius’s experimental improvisations with Wild Up, traditional finesse with Quatuor Ebène, and explosive, earthy-swing with Marlonius Jazz Orchestra and Mara Kaye, are all a testament to their unfiltered creativity.

Marlonius’s curiosity began as a classical music student at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Soon after, classical-rock tours with Stewart Copeland’s “Off The Score” and Bowie-meets-jazz with Mike Garson. Later, Marlonius studied in New York City with the legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. An active Hollywood studio musician, Marlonius has played in orchestras with Justin Hurwitz, Michael Giacchino, Anthony Parnther and John Powell.

A protégé of bass visionary Stanley Clarke, Marlonius and their 17-piece big band Marlonius Jazz Orchestra opened for Clarke and Hiromi at BroadStage in 2023. Marlonius Jazz Orchestra performs Marlonius’s thrilling compositions, while revitalizing newly discovered masterpieces by Billy Strayhorn, a queer black icon and personal hero in jazz. An authority and educator on Strayhorn, Marlonius created the video series “Ever Up and Onward: A Tribute To Billy Strayhorn” in collaboration with Colburn School and Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. Marlonius was a guest speaker-panelist at the Library Of Congress for their “Strayhorn: Known and Unknown” symposium in 2023.

Current album releases include “Julius Eastman, Vol. 5: Gay Guerrilla” with the Los Angeles new music ensemble Wild Up, and “The Strayhorn Sessions, Vol.1” with Bay Area collective FAGJAZZ. Marlonius Jazz Orchestra awaits their debut studio album, produced by Stanley Clarke, featuring the dazzling vocalist Olivia Kuper Harris.