Marquis Hill Blacktet USA

Groove-driven, soulful and poetic, composer, bandleader and trumpeter Marquis Hill makes his Jazzkaar debut! His sound is unmistakably his own, while also feeling like a journey through the history of jazz trumpet. It evokes Miles Davis’s charged silences and use of space, the undeniable virtuosity of Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard, and the groove-driven phrasing of Lee Morgan and Donald Byrd, among many other influences. Marquis Hill Blacktet’s performances are defined by a rock-solid yet supple rhythm section, over which lyrical trumpet lines and shimmering Rhodes piano dance.

Growing up in Chicago’s culturally diverse South Side, Hill began making music at an early age, taking up the drums when he was just four years old. He discovered his true passion, the trumpet, in sixth grade. His talent developed rapidly, and before long he was recognised in Chicago as an exceptionally gifted young trumpeter whose sound combined soulful influences with remarkable nuance.

Since winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2014, Hill and his ensemble have toured the globe many times over. To date, he has released 13 albums as a bandleader. The New Yorker has described Hill as an inventive post-bop musician who steers clear of genre clichés, weaving elements of hip-hop and contemporary R&B into his work. Throughout his career, he has performed with many leading figures in jazz, including Marcus Miller, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Boney James, Kurt Elling, Joe Lovano and his fellow Chicago native and contemporary Makaya McCraven. Now it’s time for Estonian audiences to fall under his spell!