Markus Rutz Quintet

Markus Rutz Quintet is an ensemble of musicians from Chicago who play together with a cohesive and sympathetic group dynamic performing originals, standards and popular themes.

The band ready to hit the stage at The Jazz Showcase was largely formed earlier this year and is led by trumpeter / composer Markus Rutz. Frequent collaborators bassist Samuel Peters and percussionist Kyle Swan are joined by Bill Cessna on piano for this performance.

The second set will feature our very special guest Victor Goines on saxophone.

In May we performed in Chicago and brought a debut of The Rose Rhapsody Suite which is a reimagining and arrangement of themes from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Material from this suite is programmed to be included at our South Bend performance. The origin of this suite is a commission by The Rose Theatre Co. from Washington DC. Markus has since been appointed composer-in-residence for the organization.

Biography

For over three decades, the musical discoveries have continue for Chicago-born jazz composer and trumpeter, Markus Rutz.

For the most recent 13 years, Markus has been a band leader on the Chicago music scene playing with many musicians in the city and with an emphasis on performing original compositions and arrangements. Applying guiding principles learned from mentors and former professors Richard Davis, Ellis Marsalis and Harold Batiste, Markus has assembled groups for recording and performances that feature musicians from Chicago, New York and his early adult years in New Orleans.

The most recent three years have been years of achievement in mid-career activities of performances and recording with local and national honors. In autumn of 2019, my album Blueprints Figure One: Frameworks was released which had tracks that appear on a story from NPR’s Morning Edition. The album was in consideration for a Grammy nomination last year. Also last year in January an album release concert was played for my New York City performance debut. The second volume of music from the project was released in September 2020 as Blueprints Figure Two: New Designs. Album recognition and reviews were accompanied by several radio interviews and global radio features notably in France and Germany.

Figure one received the high honor of a nomination consideration for a Grammy award. Industry reviews from Jazz Weekly, Dusty Groove and Chicago Jazz Magazine also lauded the compositional, performances and band arrangements from the records.

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