Black Violin
Shubert Theatre
New Haven
Feb. 26, 2026
“We’re going to bring you behind the curtain,” Kev Marcus told a packed audience at the Shubert Theatre Thursday evening.
Black Violin, Marcus’ group with Wil Baptiste, had already played more than 20 shows in February. To set each show apart from the next, they have a “freestyle” moment.
“We’re Black Violin! We’re not calling it improvisation!” Marcus declared, grinning.
The distinction matters. Though classically trained, the violinists are steeped in hip hop. In hip hop, freestyling artists make up raps on the spot, in the moment. When freestyling, confidence is key, as is the ability to ride the beat and draw in the audience with a witty story or punchlines. It’s about presence and precision.
Black Violin’s freestyle began with Baptiste sketching out a sensuous beat tinged with Spanish flair. The audience slipped easily into rhythm, clapping in tune. There was a brief moment where it seemed like Baptiste almost lost the beat, but with murmured encouragement from the audience he got right back into pocket. Then came the rush of dexterous drumming and prismatic keyboard chords, all mixed with DJ SPS’ hand-blurring record scratching.
Then Marcus entered, drawing a raw, electric cry from his black, deconstructed violin. He shaped notes, carving rhythmic patterns that locked seamlessly with the complex, rhythmic beat. The audience was in thrall as they kept bringing their hands together in celebration.
Black Violin never spiraled out of sync, and their intense energy was magnetic. On stage, it was clear that intense focus and joy for the craft were required to make the music sing. They demystified virtuosity without diminishing it.
In a sense, Black Violin’s entire show felt like a comment on freestyling and improvisation in a sometimes constrictive musical industry. Black Violin is hip hop, but they’re also classical, pop, jazz, Americana – the list goes on. Their command of the violin enables them to make any sound work for them. You simply cannot box these guys in.
Black Violin’s ability to genre-hop was most apparent when they played canonical works like Vivaldi’s “Spring” and Bach’s “Concerto No. 3.” Marcus and Baptiste would start off reverently playing the pieces true to form, then slyly mix in hip0hop staples like Busta Rhyme’s “Pass the Courvoisier” and Clipse’s “Grindin.’” The classical notes and pulsing hip hop beats somehow flowed really well together. Every so often, audience members would cry out when they recognized a remixed song. The thrill was in experiencing the mystery, in real time, of how they would alchemize seemingly disparate songs.
Baptiste proved equally compelling as a vocalist. His honeyed tenor soared over the crowd for uplifting numbers like “Beautiful Day” and “Live My Life,” from Black Violin’s latest album Full Circle. On the latter, he belted out: I’ve been breaking all the rules/’ Cause I’m tryna free my mind I’ve been making big, big moves/ You know I’ve gotta get my shine.
As effortless as Baptiste’s vocals were, the song evoked the toil entailed for Black Violin to achieve their success: former Showtime at the Apollo winners, accompaniments to the star Alicia Keys, performers at President Obama’s Inaugural Ball, two-time nominees for the Grammys. And it all started with a chance meeting in a high school orchestra class.
As the show was closing, Marcus and Baptiste encouraged young musicians in the audience to follow their dreams, showcasing their dynamic performance as testament that you can do whatever you want to do as long as you commit to working hard, and truly love what you do.
In that theater, for a few incandescent hours, that message felt less like a platitude and more like proof.
Visit their website to learn more about Black Violin.
