Marcus is a consummate musician who possesses a diverse musical vocabulary. He’s toured the U.S. and the world with notable artists that include Joseph Bowie’s Defunkt and Willie Colon. He’s also performed with Jerry and Andy Gonzalez, the Impressions, James “Jabbo” Ware, Vanessa Rubin, Savion Glover, and the Apollo Theater Showtime Band. Marcus has also shared the stage with immortals of the pantheon of greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Cecil McBee, Tito Puente, and Charlie Persip (Super-sound). As an integral part of Harlem’s musical scene, he was a member of the Sugar Hill Quartet for nearly two decades in the band’s residencies at St. Nick’s Pub, Lenox Lounge, Minton’s Playhouse, and Smoke (on the Upper West Side).
After hearing his father doodling Debussy at the family piano, Marcus began to play by ear, improvising on songs from the radio. He began private piano lessons with a local teacher. To get an ensemble credit in high school, he was assigned the bass chair in the high school orchestra, but, as it turned out, the keys were his calling: When he heard McCoy Tyner with John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters, and Keith Jarrett, he was inspired to return to his “instrument of origin.”
Marcus attended Grinnell College, the same school that Herbie Hancock attended. From there, he transitioned to the American Conservatory in Chicago, from which he received a B.A. in piano performance. He studied with Willie Pickens, Joe Daley, and Francisco Godino. He also gained an extraordinary musical education playing in the clubs, bars, and dives of Chicago.