Marquis Hill
Berwyn, IL
Grant amount: $15,000
Performances
Jazz TX. San Antonio, TX. 8/19/2021
Parkers Jazz Club. Austin, TX. 8/20/2021
DaCamera. Houston, TX. 8/22/2021
About the Artist
Marquis Hill is a trumpet player, composer, and band leader from Chicago, Illinois. His musical style draws from Black American musical genres ranging from jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Chicago house and neo-soul. In 2014 Hill won the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Trumpet Competition. He strongly advocates for the education of the next generation of musicians through active mentoring, treating the music he creates as a living art. Hill's quintet includes Joel Ross (vibes/piano); Junius Paul (bass); Kendrick Scott (drums); and Walter Smith III (saxophone), as noted below:
Joel Ross: The Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based vibraphonist Joel Ross is a sophisticated jazz performer with a sound steeped in the post-bop tradition. A protégé of Stefon Harris, Ross initially gained attention as a sideman with Marquis Hill and Makaya McCraven, before releasing his 2019 debut Blue Note album, Kingmaker.
Kendrick Scott: Born in Houston, TX, is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. He is the founder of the record label World Culture Music. He is a Blue Note Records artist having toured and recorded with Terrence Blanchard, Charles Lloyd, Kurt Elling, and Gretchen Parlato among others.
Junius Paul: He has established himself as a first call electric and acoustic bassist on the Chicago music scene. Paul was born and raised in the Chicago area and is a graduate of St. Xavier University. He is well-established in many genres, ranging from jazz to hip-hop, house music, funk, classical and gospel, and his passion for music shows consistently in all of his playing. Paul has shared the stage with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Curtis Fuller, Donald Byrd, Fred Anderson, Roscoe Mitchell, Kahil ElZabar, Chico DeBarge, KRS-One, Dee Alexander, Roy Hargrove and Corey Wilkes.
Walter Smith III: is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the Chair of the Woodwind Department at the Berklee College of Music. In addition to performing with his own group, Smith is a member of the Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet and Eric Harland's Voyager. He regularly plays and records with Taylor Eigsti, Christian Scott, Logan Richardson, Kendrick Scott, Aaron Parks, Warren Wolf, and others.