Marcus Roberts And The Modern Jazz Generation At Jazz At Lincoln Center

The pianist Marcus Roberts rose to prominence as a gifted performer — first with the Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center bands for years, then with his own trio and as a classical soloist. Along the way, he's become a mentor to many younger musicians, training many on the bandstand and from his professorship at Florida State University. That's given rise to a new group called The Modern Jazz Generation, which recently released a suite of original work called Romance, Swing, and the Blues. The band combines his working trio with horn proteges from throughout his career — a dozen musicians in all.

Marcus Roberts recently returned to Jazz at Lincoln Center with The Modern Jazz Generation for a five-night run at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. Jazz Night In America presents a set of selections from the Romance suite along with arrangements of standards and early jazz classics.