"The Poet,"
3rd CD by Rising Star Trumpeter Marquis Hill,
To Be Released Oct. 22
By Skiptone Music
3rd CD by Rising Star Trumpeter Marquis Hill,
To Be Released Oct. 22
By Skiptone Music
Hill's Sextet, The Blacktet,
Includes Christopher McBride, Alto Sax;
Justin Thomas, Vibes; Pianist Josh Moshier;
Bassist Joshua Ramos; & Drummer Makaya McCraven
Includes Christopher McBride, Alto Sax;
Justin Thomas, Vibes; Pianist Josh Moshier;
Bassist Joshua Ramos; & Drummer Makaya McCraven
CD Release Show at the Jazz Showcase, Chicago,
Oct. 31-Nov. 3
Oct. 31-Nov. 3
Already an established presence in his native Chicago, trumpeter/composer Marquis Hill will see his star continue to rise on the national jazz scene with the release of The Poet, his third CD in as many years. The dynamic session, featuring his working band, the Blacktet, is due October 22 from Skiptone Music.
Hill spent considerable time and care preparing his band for the recording of The Poet,
including performing songs from the upcoming album during a February
engagement at Chicago's Jazz Showcase less than two weeks before he
entered the studio. Among those in attendance was Chicago Tribune arts critic Howard Reich.
"Considering the
melodic beauty of Hill's themes and the subtle ways the band dispatched
them, the recording could be an important one for this ensemble," Reich
predicted in his review.
The Poet opens with "Mary's Intro," a poem written by Kevin Sparks and recited by Mary E. Lawson, and closes with "Legends Outro," a Free Style by Keith Winford
of the Chicago hip-hop band Legend Haz It. Hill's sextet, which he
calls the Blacktet, provides the instrumental backing on both. The
remaining 13 tracks place the spotlight on the Blacktet -- Hill, alto
saxophonist Christopher McBride, vibraphonist Justin Thomas, pianist Josh Moshier, bassist Joshua Ramos, and drummer Makaya McCraven -- with Juan Pastor
adding his Latin percussion prowess to three. All, with the exception
of brief improvised interludes by Thomas, Moshier, and Hill and a
rendition of the Bill Lee ballad "Again Never" from his son Spike's
motion picture Mo' Better Blues, were composed by the trumpeter.
The title of the new
CD was inspired by remarks made by Hill's friend, poet Kevin Sparks,
after hearing his previous release, 2012's Sounds of the City.
"Your music is so poetic," Hill recalls Sparks saying. "It's modern,
but at the same time, it's in the tradition. It reminds me of great
poetry. "
The remarkable empathy
between Hill and saxophonist McBride stems from their having played
together since they were classmates at Northern Illinois University
(NIU) nearly a decade ago. McBride played on Hill's two earlier CDs -- Sounds of the City and 2011's New Gospel -- as did pianist Moshier.
"The thing that
really, really attracted me to Chris is the way that we blend," Hill
says. "He has a really dark sound for an alto saxophone, and I try to go
for a dark sound on the trumpet. We're kind of like the same person
when it comes to playing horn parts and cutoffs and how to articulate
and how much vibrato to put on the notes."
Marquis Hill,
26, was raised in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. He
took up drums in the fourth grade but soon switched to trumpet after
hearing his older female cousin playing one. (He still has a drum set
and does occasional gigs as a drummer.) By the time he was in sixth
grade, the young trumpeter was a member of the South Shore Youth Jazz
Ensemble. It was one of several prestigious student bands in which Hill
played while growing up, including the Ravinia Jazz Scholars, in which
he first came in contact with future mentors Bobby Broom, Tito Carillo, and Willie Pickens.
Hill graduated from
Northern Illinois University in 2009 with a B.A. in music education and
from DePaul University in 2012 with a M.A. in jazz pedagogy. For the
past four summers, he has taught high school students at the Birch Creek
Music Performance Center in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, and he recently
joined the faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2012, he
won the International Jazz Trumpet Competition in Atlanta.
While still a student
at NIU, Hill became one of the most in-demand jazz trumpeters in the
Windy City. When not leading his Blacktet, the trumpeter currently works
with saxophonist Ernest Dawkins (another major mentor), pianist Willerm Delisfort, bassist Matt Ulery, the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and groups led by his own sidemen McBride and Thomas.
Photography: Jacob Hand
Web Site:
www.marquishill.com
Follow Marquis:
www.marquishill.com
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Media Contact:Terri Hinte
510-234-8781
hudba@sbcglobal.net
www.terrihinte.com
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