Called by The Oregonian “…a fine pianist with an ear for avant-garde-leaning melodic sensibilities…” pianist and composer Marcus Reynolds has begun to make his mark on contemporary jazz as a solo pianist, leader of his own groups and as co-leader of the Farnell Newton-Marcus Reynolds Quartet. His music has recently been featured on NPR.org’s “A Blog Supreme”.   Influenced by modern pianistic figures such as Herbie Hancock, Bud Powell, and Fred Hersch, Marcus is also informed as a composer by European 20th Century classical harmony and the Afro-Caribbean rhythmic tradition. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University where he majored in Classical Piano Perfomance and Jazz Studies (with Dr. Stephen Zegree), and also studied composition with C. Curtis-Smith and Richard Adams. He has oftened performed in duo with his wife (jazz vocalist Jessica Schultz) at such venues as the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon. In addition to performing, Marcus maintains a private teaching studio in West Linn, Oregon where he advocates a healthy, tension free approach to playing piano and guitar. His most current recording is Jessica Schultz’s “Home” which he arranged and produced.