A ‘melting pot of influence’: Black Violin draws from music styles ranging from classical to hip-hop

When Kev Marcus, one half of the Grammy-nominated duo Black Violin, reflects on the journey of how they’ve risen, he always cites his ability to be anew.

A Black man with the build of an American football linebacker, his innate desires to play the viola and violin soothe his inner world but cause friction in the outer. But that, he says, is just opportunity.

“Wil and I thought being big and Black with saggy pants and still playing the viola, we always thought that is a positive and that nobody else is doing it, and we gon’ show you how we do it,” Marcus said.

Marcus and Wil B, whose birth names are Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptiste, display that same casual passion for their own music as they embark on a cross-country tour for their latest album, the critically acclaimed “Take the Stairs,” making a stop at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox on Thursday night.

“We’ve created this thing from scratch that is just so unique and different and specific to us,” Marcus said. “It’s just such a blessing.”

The pair met on the first day at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, during a viola introduction and class. Baptiste, an aspiring horn player, was in the wrong class, but he still stayed. During practice, the pair became stand partners. The two are both Afro Caribbean. Marcus’ family is from Dominica, and Baptiste was born in the Bahamas but is of Haitian descent. Now the two are inseparable partners in business, passion and purpose.

“Our families and cultures are similar, so we connect to music in a similar way,” Marcus said. “We were studying classical music, then listening to hip-hop and soul reggae at the house, so we both have that same melting pot of influence. I think it allows us to create music in a very coherent fashion between the two of us.”

They formally began as Black Violin in 2004. The pair are the two fierce violin players in Alicia Keys’ live-band 2004 Billboard Music Awards performance. In 2005, they were honored with the Black cultural stamp of approval, winning the Legends category at the Showtime at the Apollo. (To measure what moves this tough Harlem crowd: This is the same audience that booed Luther Vandross, Gladys Knight and a nervous teenage Lauryn Hill off the stage.)

Since then, Black Violin has been part of modern music, composing the score for Fox’s “Pitch” and touring with Wu-Tang Clan and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. The pair even split on occasion to work on individual projects, arranging string selections for artists like 2Chainz, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. For Marcus, the group is a “two-member brotherhood,” a testament of music’s ability to glue cultures and people together.

“Even looking back at things, we remember eating ramen noodles out of our college dorms and ordering that big pan of fried rice from the Chinese place to feed 16 artists in one session,” Marcus said. “That’s one of the beauties that I have with Wil: We have so many shared experiences. And one day, one of us will speak at another’s funeral because we are tied that tight. It’s a brotherhood that’s deeper than blood.”

Their chemistry bleeds into their music. With the help of powerhouse producer Salaam Remi, “Take the Stairs” is a well-balanced masterpiece, an 11-track journey with the goal of moving the story of glory, persistence and achievement forward.

The opening song “Rise” sounds like the opening of a Disney-Pixar flick beginning with the sunrise. If song is color, the album artwork matches the visual depiction as much as the auditory experience. The string ensembles hum with an orange-scarlet vibration, preparing the listener for an enjoyable ride of understanding the instinct and creativity behind Black Violin’s purpose.

“Take the Stairs’ ” album artwork is a diagonal gradient from yellow to red, a metaphor to the bright beginnings before one settles into into their deep, assuring passions.

The project is a hopeful album that glitters with inspiration and the excitement of new beginnings. Marcus resonated with this heavily, explaining that Black Violin had just left their major label before they began recording “Take the Stairs.” As an independent duo, take the stairs is not only a command to follow their dreams but an affirmation that the destination could be met regardless of the strategy.

“We wanted everything to feel, sound and emote hopefulness because there’s so much of everything else,” Marcus said. “We wanted ‘Take the Stairs’ to be an album that felt good. You know how you come back to the Bible and reread? It’s because material like that is feeding, not just entertaining. We wanted it to be a meal, not a snack.”

Though Snarky Puppy, another fusion instrumental ensemble group, won Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards, the nomination was a testament to Black Violin following their path their way.

“We wanted to do what we call ‘violin acrobats’ and push the envelop,” Marcus said. “We wanted to have lyrics that says something about being hopeful instead and create chords that do it. To do this after departing from a major label? There’s a validation there that’s just so sweet.”

But that process also takes place offstage. With public schools facing the depletion of resources for art programs, Black Violin created a nonprofit that advocates for music programs and encourage children of color, particularly Black children, of the possibility to thrive in a craft that’s historically shut them out.

The Black Violin Foundation Inc. looks to “empower youth to color outside the lines” and “invest in promising young musicians.” The foundation’s inaugural program is gifting 20 students with $2,500 scholarships that will foster “musical creativity and innovation.”

The students can choose among private lessons, summer music camps and college courses. The duo is also hands-on, delivering seminars in diversity and inclusion talks with school superintendents and hosting instrument drives for children who cannot afford them. The foundation is run by their wives, Anne Sylvester and Corryn Freeman, in Cooper City, Florida.

“Our best achievement is the Black Violin Foundation,” Marcus said. “It will live beyond us, and starting something that has that kind of reach is an extension of our creative arms.”

Black Violin will have 35 more cities to entertain after their stop downtown. But, as “Take the Stairs” suggests, Black Violin is in it for the long haul, grateful to have the opportunity to journey and inspire everyone along the way.

“I’m going to go on this stage tonight and, man, it’s sold out here, and 2,700 people are coming to see these two Black kids play violin,” said Marcus before Black Violin’s Atlanta show at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. “Seeing what we’ve been able to do and creating a show in itself? I can’t help but feel overwhelmed for this to all happen and what we’ve been able to build.”