Marcus Strickland Twi-Life Release The Universe’s Wildest Dream Via Strick Muzik

Limited Edition Vinyl Available For Order Here:

https://marcusstrickland.bandcamp.com

Stream The Universe’s Wildest Dream here: https://bit.ly/TUWD-Songwhip

Today, Jazz legend and Grammy-award nominated artist Marcus Strickland releases Twi-Life album The Universe’s Wildest Dream, via his own Strick Muzik. Heralded as one of BET's “Top 23 Most Anticipated Albums of 2023,” the LP features Strickland on soprano, alto, tenor saxes, and bass clarinet, Mitch Henry on keys, piano, and organ, Kyle Miles on bass, and album co-producer Charles Haynes on drums. A fitting evolution from People of the Sun and Nihil Novi, The Universe’s Wildest Dreamshowcases luminous grooves that encapsulate Black World Music: a mixture of jazz, hip hop, soul, Afro-Caribbean and African Music. Dynamic, dramatic and rooted in AfroFuturism, Strickland meditates on life’s biggest questions and ideas, from technology to aliens to sustainability and race, all while emphasizing the fragility of existence and the miracle that is human life.

The ambitious AfroFuturistic album is a celebration of life on Planet Earth and an urgent call for humans to focus on climate change. Comprised of works Marcus wrote during the 2020 NYC lockdown, the sound, lyrics and titles resonate with the spiritual realm and praise our existence within this vast universe. The project is highlighted by previously released singles “Dust Ball Fantasy (featuring Lionel Loueke)” and “Amygdala.” 

Watch “Amygdala” short film here: https://bit.ly/AmygdalaYouTube 

At the center of The Universe’s Wildest Dream lies “Infinity,” a vibrant sax-laden track featuring the insightful words of Ras Stimulant. Stimulant asserts that spiritual discipline is needed to tap into our DNA's knowledge of the Universe. Speaking about the track, Marcus notes, 

“The realization of how small, yet connected we are to the Universe has time and time again been seen as a path towards enlightenment by the sages and prophets of our planet. There is us and then there is ‘Infinity,’ an acknowledgment of our relationship to the macro.”

Strickland will celebrate his new album with headline dates this month at New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club, and a hometown show at the Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens in Miami. Stay tuned for more dates to be announced soon. 

2023 MARCUS STRICKLAND TOUR DATES:

Tuesday, January 17 – New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club

Wednesday, January 18 – New York, NY – Blue Note Jazz Club

Friday, January 27 – Miami, FL – Banyan Bowl at Pinecrest Gardens

The Universe’s Wildest Dream Tracklist

1. Prayer

2. Dust Ball Fantasy (feat. Lionel Loueke)

3. Bird Call

4. Matter (feat. Christie Dashiell)

5. Infinity (feat. Stimulant)

6. You and I, an Anomaly 

7. Amygdala

8. Joy For Jupiter

To order vinyl, purchase concert tickets and Marcus Strickland merchandise, please visit: http://bit.ly/LnkBioMarcusStrickland

ABOUT MARCUS STRICKLAND

A central fixture of New York City’s jazz scene since the 1990s, Grammy-nominated tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland continues to morph as an artist, consistently releasing tracks about relevant topics as times change. Growing up in Miami, FL hearing his identical twin brother E.J. Strickland and his lawyer father both play the drums, Strickland developed a unique familiarity with many instruments. He learned specifically about saxophone through a love for three-time Grammy-winning American saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and his early influences included Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. He received a scholarship to attend The New School and moved to New York in 1997, paving the way for his involvement in New York City’s freshly budding ‘90s jazz and hip-hop scenes. He earned his B.A. in jazz performance in 2002, and took Jazz Orchestra Ensemble with Blue Note Records veteran Charles Tolliver and Blakey Ensemble with Coltrane band double bassist Reggie Workman. Strickland launched his own label, Strick Muzik, in 2006, and was signed to the legendary Blue Note Records in 2015. In his band, Twi-Life, which exists at the intersection of hip-hop and jazz, Strickland is a multi-instrumentalist, beat maker, and composer. After releasing his album Twi-Life on his own label in 2006, he was named “Best New Artist” in the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll. Strickland’s albums often combine many genres like hip-hop, Afro-beat, funk, jazz, rock, and jungle. He has performed consistently at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York among other legendary venues, with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Tom Harrell, Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride's New Jawn & Chucho Valdez "La Creación,” Dave Douglas, Keyon Harrold, and Mos Def, among others. He is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Studio Music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. As a result, he splits his time between Miami and New York.

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For more information please contact:

Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com)

Mike Jones (mjones@shorefire.com) 

Victoire Selce (vselce@shorefire.com)