The Beat Goes On

 

“Just posted a video in Columbia, Maryland,” the tweet read. I was curious. I’m always looking for a good local story. So I clicked.

@MarvillousBeats Just posted a video @ Columbia, Maryland. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHBTKDXgfc4/

The video shows a young Black man playing violin near Vantage House in Town Center, I believe. He is accompanied by a backing track. Would you call this style jazz violin? I think so. He is very, very good. 

I was curious, so I looked him up.

Marvillous Beats is the performance name of a Laurel-based violinist Marvill L. Martin. (He is also a composer, actor, and audio engineer, according to his website bio.) The music he makes? 

The vibe of the Marvillous Beats sound is a unique mix of original classical music, pop, jazz and hip-hop. 

Check out his cover of “Positions” by Ariana Grande. The rhythmic pizzicato in the intro is, as my daughter would say, “chef’s kiss”.

It can’t be easy to be a specialist in live performance during the pandemic. Even in the best of times, musical artists are engaged in an endless cycle of self-promotion in order to find enough gigs to get by. Right now the kind of group events that normally book musicians are few and far between, if not a downright impossibility. 

If you scroll down through his Twitter account you’ll also see that he is a family man with a beautful baby daughter. Seeing those photos made me wonder if there was anything I could do to connect his music with people who might become fans. What about you?

Maybe you need something to do today to keep your mind off of things that are causing you stress and anxiety. A little music might be just the thing.

Marvillous Beats has a YouTube channel, too. There’s lots of stuff there to explore. And you might want to put a little something in his tip jar if you’re so inclined. Or just tell a friend and spread the word.