CBS 60 Minutes feature Marcus Roberts

Historic City News readers will enjoy the CBS 60 Minutes program on Sunday, March 30, 2014, which will feature a segment on Marcus Roberts; a world-renowned jazz pianist and graduate of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Part of the segment, which begins at 7:00 pm Eastern, will feature Robert’s visit to the school where he spent the day talking about his life and performing a jam session for FSDB students, teachers, alumni and staff, alongside his mentor, legendary jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

Marsalis is currently the cultural correspondent for the CBS Morning Show. He wanted to do a segment on his old band mate, but 60 Minutes felt it would be better suited during a primetime broadcast. The producers of the show contacted the school administration in June 2013 to see if it would be possible to videotape an interview and jam session with the two musical artists.

On August 6, 2013, a production crew rolled into campus with their lights and video cameras. They spent the morning shooting interviews in the Wilson Music Building. In the afternoon, Roberts and Marsalis performed a jam session with FSDB students, alumni, parents, teachers and staff in attendance.

This was followed by a question and answer session. “How do you become a successful musician?” asked one of the students. “The most important thing is the way you distinguish yourself by developing good character traits,” said Roberts. A couple of current students and a former alumnus got a once in a lifetime opportunity when they were given the chance to play songs alongside Roberts.

At the end of the day, students involved with the FSDB Music program got to put on their own jam session for Roberts and Marsalis. “It was inspirational to watch Marcus Roberts, a 1981 FSDB graduate who is a highly successful jazz pianist and university professor, and Wynton Marsalis, a world-acclaimed jazz musician, interact with students from the FSDB Blind Department,” said FSDB President Dr. Jeanne Glidden Prickett. “The genuine interest and caring these two extraordinary professional musicians will be something the students will remember for a lifetime.”