MUSIC: SHADES OF BLUE

The J Master renewed my faith in jazz music," trumpeter Wynton Marsalis writes in his backstage-with-the-band chronicle, Sweet Swing Blues on the Road. "In 1984 half of my first band left to play rock music. I thought maybe no one with that real fire and talent in our generation wanted to play jazz--not enough external rewards for swinging. Then I called the J Master...When he plays, the entire history of jazz piano resonates. He is a true original, a real jazzman, not afraid to swing and play the blues with authority, intelligence, abandon and soul. Yes, with soul."

"The J Master" is Marsalis' respectfully affectionate nickname for pianist Marcus Roberts. Anyone who listens to Roberts' two new albums, due out this week, Portraits in Blue (featuring a re-examination of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, as well as some other, shorter pieces) and Time and Circumstance (a theme album of Roberts' original songs), will hear that mastery made manifest. By taking on what is arguably Gershwin's best composition and at the same time releasing what is his most satisfying and sophisticated record of his own compositions, Roberts demonstrates his technical virtuosity and passionate intelligence in impressive fashion. And yes, with soul.

Roberts, 32, began showing indications of greatness at a young age. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, and blind since age five, when cataracts destroyed his vision, he began taking piano lessons at 12, learning how to read music through Braille. He was a quick study. When Roberts was 22, Marsalis asked him to join his band; and at 25 he won first prize in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. His subsequent career as a recording artist also met with early success--he is the first musician to have had his first three albums reach No. 1 on Billboard's traditional-jazz chart.

Why is he now releasing two albums at once? Roberts seems to be following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor, Marsalis, who released a jazz and a classical album at the same time in 1982. Marsalis went on to secure a reputation as a renaissance man who could handle material from many genres; Roberts' double-barreled release should win him similar accolades.

Roberts has recorded formidable material before--on his 1991 CD, Three Giants, he covered works by Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. But on Portraits in Blue he takes on his biggest musical challenge by remaking material that is even more familiar and sacrosanct to many listeners. Says Roberts: "Rhapsody in Blue is a piece everyone knows, so the changes you hear, if done right, can give you some idea of the power of jazz music. I wanted to try and bring the piece up to date without sacrificing its basic nature and personality." Because Rhapsody in Blue is a classical piece written before Louis Armstrong taught the world to swing, Roberts modified his usual improvisational approach: "Jazz is based on the premise of using your personal identity to manipulate your knowledge and feeling into something original. With classical you really can't take liberties with the material without careful planning."