South African trumpeter and composer Marcus Wyatt shares insights into his creative journey in a recent interview. Growing up in a musical home, he discusses the joys of ensemble music and the challenges of thriving in a conservative local scene. Wyatt emphasizes art's useless beauty as a path to freedom.
Marcus Wyatt, a multitalented trumpeter, bandleader, and composer, reflects on his lifelong immersion in music during an interview for the InArt series. He grew up in a musical home that fostered an appreciation for beauty in all forms. Wyatt explains that he gravitated toward music from a community perspective, starting with big bands, brass bands, wind bands, orchestras, and jazz big bands. "I always enjoyed being a part of something bigger, both practically and spiritually," he says, noting how these experiences evoked strong emotions.
Wyatt's creativity deepened through curiosity and the struggles of working as a professional artist in South Africa's conservative music scene, where genres are often rigidly labeled. He has balanced personal exploration with industry demands for about 25 to 30 years. Beauty inspires him across mediums: visual arts like Albert’s Farm in Johannesburg at golden hour, photography capturing the human condition, films, videography, and well-written stories.
His wife, bassist and designer Romy Brauteseth, is a key influence, admired for her artistry in music, composition, framing, and design. Other inspirations span disciplines, including Manu Dibango, Chris McGregor, André Brink, Marc Chagall, and more. On art's purpose, Wyatt quotes author Tom Robbins: "The great thing about art is that it has no purpose. Its usefulness is the fact that it’s absolutely useless, and therefore it can lift us out of the world of economics and politics, where we experience, however fleetingly, a sense of true freedom — which is the most precious commodity on Earth."
Among South African talents, he praises Ndabo Zulu's upcoming album, alongside Bokani Dyer, Benjy Jephta, Siya Makuzeni, Carlo Mombelli, Shane Cooper, Vuma Levin, Yonela Mnana, and BCUC. Wyatt draws from multimedia films like 1 Giant Leap and What About Me?, which explore humanity positively, and Terence Blanchard’s album A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina), which provided hope during tough times.
Recent projects include the photographic book Silent Treatment, a collection of portraits of South African jazz musicians co-created with Brauteseth during their YouTube series House on the Hill. They are also launching twins, their biggest endeavor yet. Meanwhile, Wyatt's band Bombshelter Beast released their second album, Listen Properly, a groovy critique of genre constraints, recorded before the global hiatus but sounding fresh.