San Francisco-based artist Marcus Shelby holds many titles. He’s a composer, a bassist and a educator - just to name a few. His latest composition, Beyond the Blues: A Prison Oratorio, centers on the prison industrial complex. He spoke with KALW's Jen Chien about his work, and how he uses the blues as both a form and a concept.
SHELBY: If I was a plumber, I would be doing social justice work . . . I'm a musician and so it’s an extension of that.
Catch Beyond the Blues: A Prison Oratorio this Sunday afternoon (9.27) at the Yerba Buena Garden Festival in San Francisco.
Click the audio player to listen to the interview.