Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste are Black Violin — and they’re coming to the Count Basie Theatre for an unusual engagement that includes a Tuesday night show for the public a pair of special school-show sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
The name’s actually a bit misleading, as the duo known as Black Violin consists of a violinist (Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester) and a virtuoso of the viola (Wil Baptiste), joined in live performance by turntable master Dwayne “DJTK” Dayal and a touring drummer.
But in a fast-moving career that’s seen them engaging audiences from coast to coast and more than 30 countries, Wil and Kev have yet to strike a false note in settings that have ranged from President Obama’s Inaugural Ball, three Super Bowls and a U.S. Open to the hipster-approved festival circuit, and a regular schedule of sessions for school-age kids.
Which brings Team BV to the stage of Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre for the first time this week.
On Tuesday night, Black Violin is slated to make its area debut in a concert for all ages, an appearance that’s bookended by a pair of special school shows Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m..
Open to group reservations from public and private school groups, those morning matinees are an ideal showcase for the core members of Black Violin, whose eclectic repertoire is a blend of the old-world classic/ chamber tradition with African-American styles, and the many ways in which these influences cross-pollinated with other folk-music veins to create what we think of as American music — from bluegrass and jazz, to rock, R&B and hip-hop.
As befits a band that plays so well with others (P. Diddy, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Aretha Franklin and the Eagles, among many others), there’s nothing dry and scholarly about the way in which Baptiste and Sylvester interact with their young audiences — and the violin vibe carries over to the group’s “grownup” concerts, each one a stylistic sprint that gleefully tramples the arbitrary fences between “genres.”
Take it here for tickets to Tuesday’s 8 pm event ($20 – $35) — and check up on availability for seating at the November 17 and 18 school shows, by contacting Sam Giustiniani at [email protected] or (732) 224-8778 x130.
