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AllBoutJazz Review - Reverend Chris: @etude
By GENO THACKARA, April 17, 2017 Christopher Marsceill may be based in northwest Philadelphia, but a casual listener could just as easily believe it was Nashville or New Orleans—not just because he goes by Reverend Chris in polite company and otherwise, but because he and his amiable High Rollers band share a love for earthy horns and Dixie swing. This lineup's first recording @etude offers a fun melting pot of largely Southern gumbo with high camaraderie and high spirits. The leader's mostly-electric piano makes a soft and sprightly bed for the horn duo to caper over while the shuffling rhythm players stomp their hearts out. New addition Thomas Razler on sax adds a dose of Philly soul in spots like...... FULL ARTICLE Bringing Jazz Back to West Philadelphiaby Connor Showalter & Jade McKenzie, Spring 2012
Chris “The Rev.” Marsceill, 31, a Philadelphia native, plays the piano at Le Cochon Noir every Sunday. “It is a great mix here. The food is wonderful. The art is great,” Marsceill said. Le Cochon Noir also hosts an art exhibition on the last Friday of every month called Final Friday. The venue boasts high ceilings that can allow local artists to exhibit up to 20 paintings that cover its walls, Parker said. “It is nice having a place where the art changes every month,” said Marsceill, who crafted his sound in New Orleans. “The following month you will have different clientele and people from other neighborhoods.” “The music is a nice link to the art,” Marsceill added. “It is layback and very southern. For the past year this neighborhood has been improving.” FULL ARTICLE ‘Rev. Chris’ to Mark 10 Years of Jazz at Local Tavern
by Brendon Sample July 27, 2017 After 10 years of performing live jazz at the Tavern on the Hill, Chris Marsceill, better known on stage as “Rev. Chris,” certainly has a lot on which to look back. Though his regular performances on the piano with his band have made him a fixture of the Tavern, getting to that point was not the easiest of journeys. Hailing from the Chestnut Hill/Erdenheim area, Marsceill relocated to Louisiana when he began school at Loyola University, New Orleans. Building on his trumpet lessons while attending Springfield Township High School, he performed with a number of different jazz singers and bands all across New Orleans. After settling there, however, he was ultimately forced to come back to this area when Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home. While he and his current wife initially lived with his parents in Erdenheim, they were able to get a place of their own in Chestnut Hill. FULL ARTICLE Hiller No Fool to Take on Beatlesby Pete Mazzaccaro, Spring 2010
Last summer, as nearly everyone was lining up to buy the remastered reissues of the Beatles back catalogue, local piano fixture, Reverend Chris Marsceill was conceiving a one-time performance of Beatles classics at Tavern on the Hill that he would release as a live album. Marsceill, who may be the busiest musician in Chestnut Hill — he plays solo and in several different combos — is a Chestnut Hill area native and Springfield Township High School grad who moved back after his New Orleans home was obliterated in Hurricane Katrina... ... ... FULL ARTICLE |
Redemption of Philly jazz scene starting in the Northwest
by Stacia Friedman, December 11, 2015 North By Northwest eventually closed and recently reopened as the 7165, offering jazz brunch on Sundays. Meanwhile, Reverend Chris Marsceill plays New Orleans-style piano on Friday nights at Tavern on the Hill in Chestnut Hill. For the Chardonnay-and-pearls set, Woodmere Museum launched a Friday Night Jazz series. Then came the Bynum brothers, owners of Warmdaddy’s, Relish, South, and the now defunct Zanzibar Blue. When they announced the opening of Paris Bistro Jazz Café in Chestnut Hill in 2014, I was skeptical. Were they really going to create an authentic jazz venue or will it be just one more missed opportunity? Zanzibar Blue had been my favorite jazz hangout in its intimate location on South 11th Street, but when they relocated it in a cavernous space in the Bellevue Hyatt, I lost interest. Apparently, so did the owners. FULL ARTICLE OffBeat Magazine Reviewby Steve Steinberg, Spring 2006
Some very good straight ahead modern jazz from a trio of young musicians who obviously know what they’re doing. The opening tunes, “Green Dolphin Street,” “If I Were A Bell,” “Autumn Leaves,” make it clear where these guys are coming from. This was familiar territory for the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and other name bop stars in the ’60s and these three have clearly listened to the masters and paid attention. In fact, their sound is quite reminiscent of the piano, bass, and drum trios from that era. What’s unusual is that this group can be heard at Fritzel’s on Bourbon Street, usually associated with nothing else but traditional New Orleans jazz. It’s a tribute to leader Bradford Truby that he can comfortably fit into both musical styles. Bryan Besse is one of a handful of New Orleans drummers who do the kind of accented rhythms we usually associate with folks like Max Roach and places like New York. Chris Marsceill on the keyboards has the kind of funky feel in his playing that the boppers were just beginning to experiment with and that James Booker brought to fruition. All in all, this is an excellent debut for some new additions to the local scene from whom I hope we’ll hear a great deal more. FULL ARTICLE Review of Brad Truby Trio @ the Circle BarJune 05, 2005
For the moment at least, the Bradford Truby Trio must undergo comparisons to NYC piano trio The Bad Plus. That's not such a bad thing, considering The Bad Plus made waves recently by successfully converting rock songs into jazz form. The Bradford Truby Trio did the same at The Circle Bar Sunday night. Radiohead's "Paranoid Android." A medley of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Black Sabbath's "Ironman." Their best and most ingenious pick for a cover was Billy Idol's "White Wedding." FULL ARTICLE |
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