"I put all of my heart and soul into my playing, and that's where music should come from!"

This month, SmoothViews take you to an unlikely place to find one of the rising stars in jazz, sax man, Marcus Anderson.  Marcus came across our radar in several different ways and now this Spartanburg, South Carolina native has truly earned his time in the spotlight.  While sax players of all calibers are out there, some of them just shine a little brighter than others, and Marcus is no exception.

Marcus Anderson comes from a large family filled with musicians.  Both of his parents were singers and really took notice of the natural talent that Marcus had.  Marcus began playing sax around age 12 and soon after moved into singing and performing in church.  “I started out performing in church with my older brothers.  But it was my Dad that introduced me to jazz.”  Once I heard it, I was hooked.”  With his roots firmly in Gospel music, where many other artists have gotten their feet wet, Marcus says that’s where his inspiration comes from and these deep feelings he expresses through his music.

In high school, Marcus was part of the All-State High School Jazz Ensemble, and received the Chancellor’s Award multiple times.  After high school, Marcus continued studying his music at North Carolina Central University.  While there, he was a member of the Jazz Ensemble and also studied with Branford Marsalis and Donald Hayes, a Gospel saxophonist.

Marcus Anderson came to my attention at a Marcus Johnson concert.  His high energy and obvious passion for the music, whether backing up another artist or playing his own compositions, is enviable.  He puts his all into the music.  “I love being in front of a crowd.  I feed off of that energy. It’s such a give and take with the audience, so when I am feeling that love from them, it’s going to push me even further.”

Influenced by many, Marcus has had the opportunity to play with some of his idols, such as Branford Marsalis, Marcus Johnson, and Bob Baldwin, as well as open for Boney James.  One of his biggest breaks came when he won the 2009 Capital Jazz Fest Challenge.  For those unaware of this event, each year the Capital Jazz Festival, which draws tens of thousands of folks to Columbia Maryland, holds a competition for up and coming musicians.  Te entrants submit samples of their work and, after sifting through all of them, the finalists perform on a secondary stage at the Capital Jazz Festival. Marcus won last year’s competition and earned himself a spot on the Capital Jazz Super Cruise last October.  Marcus has regularly played at Blues Alley in Washington, DC, and numerous other festivals around the country.

Marcus has released two solo CDs.  His first, My Turn, showed what this young saxophonist is capable of.  His second release, From the Heart, shows his audience how much he has grown and succeeds in bringing the energy of his live performances onto the CD.

Be sure to watch for this versatile sax man opening for and playing with many of the top headliners in smooth jazz today.  And for information visit Marcus Anderson on his website: www.marcusanderson.net, on Facebook or on MySpace.