Episode Summary

Host Steve Roby sits down with Bay Area bassist, composer, and bandleader Marcus Shelby to discuss his upcoming SF Jazz performance, a tribute to Miles Davis's landmark 1949–50 sessions, later released as Birth of the Cool. Marcus reflects on his journey with the music, the genius of Gil Evans's orchestrations, and what it means to bring this rarely performed repertoire back to life with his new orchestra.

About Marcus Shelby

Marcus Shelby has spent more than two decades creating large-scale jazz works rooted in history and community — oratorios and suites that trace the Port Chicago Mutiny, Harriet Tubman's journey, and the Civil Rights Movement. Now he turns his attention to a different kind of history: the 11 tracks Miles Davis and his nonet recorded that became Birth of the Cool.

What We Talk About

How Marcus approaches composition — researching, traveling, and even "method acting" into the stories he tells through music
His unconventional path into jazz: a post-basketball-career pivot in his early twenties that led him straight to Miles Davis
Why Birth of the Cool was actually the last Miles Davis music to click for him — and why that makes sense
The specific genius of Gil Evans and the unusual instrumentation of the nonet (alto, baritone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba, rhythm section) and how those combinations create something unrepeatable
A deep dive into two featured tracks: Boplicity — the most purely Gil Evans track on the record — and the luminous Moonbeams, and what each demands of the musicians who play it
Rising trumpet star Skyler Tang (a Bay Area native now at The New School in New York), who has been commissioned to rearrange Deception for the concert
Marcus's original composition Monk in the City, written for the same instrumentation as the Birth of the Cool nonet
What a live performance offers that a studio recording cannot — the interpretive choices, the improvisational voice of each soloist, the acoustic magic of SF Jazz's Miner Auditorium
Marcus's wider work as Artistic Director of Healdsburg Jazz (now in his sixth year), his long relationships with SF Jazz, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Stanford Jazz, and Community Living Jazz

Featured Music

Boplicity — Miles Davis
Moonbeams — Miles Davis

All music in this episode is used under fair use for educational commentary, with all rights retained by the original creators.

Upcoming Performance

Marcus Shelby New Orchestra: Miles at 100 — Birth of the Cool Revisited 📅 Sunday, May 10th 📍 Miner Auditorium, SF Jazz — San Francisco, CA 🎟 Tickets & info: sfjazz.org

Links & Resources

Marcus Shelby: marcusshelby.com
Healdsburg Jazz: healdsburgjazz.org

Backstage Bay Area is a podcast about the music and musicians of the San Francisco Bay Area. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.