Now Roberts, 44, is returning the favor, playing mentor to Wynton's kid brother, Jason, a 31-year-old percussionist. Roberts, Marsalis and bassist Roland Guerin make up the Marcus Roberts Trio. (They perform tonight through Sunday at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola in Manhattan).
Dining on a Caesar salad and catfish between shows, Roberts said the lanky Marsalis has flourished over the 13 years they've worked together.
“Jason has what I call genius-level musical skills," said the soft-spoken Roberts, who wore a black shirt and matching Ray- Ban sunglasses. “Jason can hear things and do things right away without having to do a whole lot of work."
Marsalis, who just finished a salad of his own, smiled at his tutor's appraisal.
“He's trying to get the best result, and I'm trying to do the same thing," said Marsalis, who got his start as a drummer with his famous brother in the mid-1990s. “We had a talk earlier today about the music in terms of what to do to get it to the next level, and I contemplate that to figure out how to make it better."
(The Marcus Roberts Trio performs tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street; +1-212-258-9595)
For more information contact All About Jazz.
