MARQUES CARROLL QUINTET

BLUESTEM JAZZ | A bold performer, soulful composer and passionate educator, Trumpeter Marques Carrol is dedicated to preserving the authentic culture of Jazz and spreading his holistic love of music around the world.

Marques Carroll has been drawing national attention since 1996, having worked and shared the stage with today’s most celebrated artists and ensembles including Carmen Bradford, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Etienne Charles, Christian McBride, Jon Faddis, Meshell Ndegeocello, Randy Weston, Jimmy Heath, Jeff Hamilton, Randy Brecker, Nicholas Payton, Tom Harrell, Bob Brookmeyer, Bobby Watson, the Count Basie Orchestra, The Temptations, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, The O’Jays, The Four Tops, May Wilson and Aretha Franklin.

Born into a musical family in St. Louis, Marques fell in love with the trumpet when he was only 8 years old. His grandfather worked with Jazz legend Clark Terry, who became an influence on Marques and his musical growth. Marques also developed a lifelong friendship with Wynton Marsalis who has become one of his greatest supporters. Absorbing the blues of Louis Armstrong and the laid back sounds of Miles Davis, while also studying the music of Haydyn, Hindemith, Bach and Beethoven, Marques boasts a versatile upbringing in the brass performance and pedagogical tradition. Marques studied at DePaul University where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Jazz Studies Performance. 

A storyteller at heart, Marques uses his experience and mastery of multi-genre vocabulary to break down barriers between genres writing evocative music that speaks directly to the soul. Rooted in the tradition of Black American Music (BAM), Marques is consciously and decorously challenging norms of genres such as Blues, Funk, Soul, Neo-Soul, and Hip-Hop, expanding and pushing into new places of expression and mastery. 

On The Ancestors’ Call, Carroll weaves poignant stories of strength and resilience, integrity and pride, and spirituality and culture over the course of eight original compositions. The result is a rich sonic masterwork that presents listeners with a deep spiritual exploration of the African diaspora, told from his own unique perspective and informed by the experiences of his elders…”

Black Grooves “Within the musical canon of the genre traditionally known as “jazz,” Chicago’s legacy as birthplace or training ground for some of the genre’s most innovative and technically adept trumpeters is solidified by musicians such as Ray Nance, Louis Armstrong, Lester Bowie, Marquis Hill, and Corey Wilkes. With his stellar debut quintet album, The Ancestors’ Call, Chicago-based trumpeter and composer, Marques Carroll, rightly adds his name to this list…”

Jazziz “Chicago-based trumpeter Marques Carroll presents listeners with a deep, spiritual exploration of the African diaspora on The Ancestors Call, out today via JMarq. This impassioned recording debut, guided by the voice of an unnamed elderly man representing Carroll’s African-American ancestors, is arranged in eight narratively ordered sections performed by a tight-knit quintet…”

Making A Scene! “This is the debut of trumpeter Marques Carroll leading his quintet, but Carroll is no stranger to Chicago audiences as a member of the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective and the Count Basie Orchestra. This project, The Ancestors’ Call, pays homage to his ancestors and heritage. Joining Carroll is his tight-knit quintet featuring alto saxophonist Brent Griffin, pianist Amr Fahmy, bassist Christian Dillingham, and drummer Greg Art as well as special guests Victor Garcia on congas, trombonist Alex Wasily, and vocalist Sharon Irving…”

All About Jazz “This album dwells in a place where meditative spirituality and progressive fire meet R'n'B chill. There are definite echoes of past adventurers such as McCoy Tyner and Lee Morgan in the melodies and horn play, but there is also an incorporation of modern R'n'B rhythms underneath which reflects the overall theme of generations reaching out to each other. Marques Carroll makes a strong first impression here with excellent music which has both soul and gravity…”

Musical Memoirs “Marques Carroll opens with “The Ancestors’ Call upon Us,” arranged in an African 6/8 tempo with special guest, Victor Garcia adding congas that fatten the mix. Marques has composed this song to reflect an old man’s pathway of life, with the drums calling him (like ancestor voices) and the melody leading him up a pathway to his destiny. Carroll believes it is the ancestor wisdom that helps us all master the art of living. As he blows his trumpeted melodies, fat with knowledge and wisdom, his wish is that these compositions uplift and inspire communities to work together. His songs reflect unity and the determination to fight injustice. This is the theme of his musical gifts…"

Stereogum “St. Louis has produced more great trumpeters than you might expect: Clark Terry, Miles Davis, Lester Bowie, Baikida Carroll, and Keyon Harrold (he’s from Ferguson, but it’s a suburb of St. Louis), among others. So Marques Carroll has a lot to live up to straight out of the gate. His debut album is exactly the kind of emphatic statement he needed to make…”

Republic of Jazz “JMarq Records is proud to announce the April 16, 2021 release of The Ancestors’ Call, the new album from celebrated trumpeter Marques Carroll. Perhaps best known to audiences primarily as a member of the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective and for his work with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Chicago-based musician comes into his own on this extraordinary introductory release that pays homage to his ancestors and heritage. Joining Carroll is his tight-knit quintet featuring alto saxophonist Brent Griffin, pianist Amr Fahmy, bassist Christian Dillingham, and drummer Greg Art as well as special guests Victor Garcia on congas, trombonist Alex Wasily, and vocalist Sharon Irving.