Todd Marcus: Bass Clarinet, Baltimore, and the Power of Being More Than One Thing

Jazz gives us permission to be many things at once. Todd Marcus lives that truth. He is a world-class bass clarinetist and composer who has made the instrument a center of gravity in modern jazz. He is also the Executive Director and co-founder of Intersection of Change, a nonprofit serving Baltimore’s Sandtown-Winchester community. He has walked both paths for decades with intention and grit.  

If you want to hear how those identities speak to each other, put on On These Streets (A Baltimore Story). It is a portrait of West Baltimore, written from inside the neighborhood where Todd lives and works. The music carries history, resilience, and care without sentimentality. It also swings hard and gives the bass clarinet a commanding, human voice.  

Todd’s catalog shows another facet too. Blues for Tahrir and In the Valley reach into his Egyptian heritage and fold Middle Eastern colors into straight-ahead modern language. That blend is not a gimmick. It is a clear statement about identity and belonging, delivered through melody, counterline, and groove.  

Listening to Todd clarifies something I believe deeply as a teacher. People are multifaceted. We can pursue more than one passion and let them strengthen each other. Practicing that idea is not abstract. It is daily work. For Todd, running arts and recovery programs in Baltimore informs the way he listens, writes, and phrases. The music, in turn, gives shape and energy to the community work. Each side makes the other more honest.  

What this means for adult clarinetists

Adult learners often tell me they want the clarinet to be “more than a hobby” but worry they started too late. Todd’s example is a reminder that your playing can be one pillar of a larger, integrated life. You do not have to choose between roles. You can be a parent, a professional in another field, a neighbor who shows up, and a clarinetist who takes their artistry seriously.

Here is the language I like for this idea:

• Learning clarinet as an adult is a practice of integration. You are not adding a random skill. You are bringing together who you have been with who you are becoming.

• Clarinet study builds the whole person. Tone asks for breath and posture. Rhythm asks for time management. Phrasing asks for empathy. Repetition asks for patience. Performance asks for courage.

• Music is a framework for agency. You set targets, build the mechanics, measure results, and adjust. Those habits spill into the rest of life.

If you want a single sentence for your page:
“Adult clarinet study helps you integrate your identities, turning practice into a path toward the whole person you want to be.”

Where to start listening

• On These Streets (A Baltimore Story) for the Baltimore portrait and Todd’s bass clarinet voice front and center. Apple Music - Web Player

• In the Valley for the Egyptian-American thread and orchestral writing that is both intricate and direct. downbeat.com

• Trio+ for small-group clarity that lets you hear articulation, time feel, and register work up close. JazzTimes

Hear the conversation

On the Clarinet Ninja Podcast, we dig into how Todd balances artistry with service, how his writing grows out of lived experience, and what it means to give the bass clarinet a leadership role in a band. Bring your instrument, your questions, and your full self. Then take that energy into your next practice session.