Led by the Stars, Marquis Hill

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   Soul jazz and Spiritual Jazz are subgenres in jazz since the 1950s: for soul jazz it passes from Ray Charles to Jimmy Smith or Gary Bartz, who in particular also crosses over into spiritual-cosmic jazz explored deepest by the Coltranes (John and Alice), Pharoah Sanders, and Sun Ra. Marquis Hill, inspired by these, carves his own space bringing together religion and astrology.Marquis Hill entered the scene with his self-released debut, “New Gospel” (2011), a gospel-soul jazz mixture, but as importantly, a slow, funky groover with hip-hop and R&B for his base. After this, he founded the label, Black Unlimited Musical Group, which has released most of his recordings including his most recent one, “Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox” (2024).
Marquis Hill’s Composers Collective trimmed to a quartet tours Europe in March with Marquis on trumpet, Mike King on keyboards, Junius Paul on bass, and Corey Fonville on drums.
No doubt inspired by pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams’ 1945 recording “The Zodiac Suite,” the Chicago-born and based Marquis Hill (born April 15, 1987) stepped through the astronomical gates into a deeper Spiritual and Soul Jazz with “Soul Sign” (2020). As an Aries, himself, the album begins with his attributes for the track titled “Aries – I am – Mars,” as he says “Aries, the alfa, this is where it starts. Fire…” Marquis proceeds through the signs of the Zodiac like a wise or even stern tarot card reader backed by a blend of spiritual and soul (meaning with his jazz on the funkier-side) beats, and sharing vocals with female and male counterparts. This one was mostly a one-man production made during Covid-lockdowns, seemingly to set him free.
However, an earlier recording of Marquis Hill was vital for him to reach this point, as well. This is his “Meditation Tape” (2017), which begins with the track “Good Morning” featuring Marvin, an American jazz drummer, based in Europe for about 25 years, or at least as he says, originally from New Jersey, but before that, California, is how he explains the place where he was introduced to meditation to tune into his, or rather the spirit, the body and mind as one, essential for his playing. Marvin provides the voice of spiritual wisdom throughout the “Meditation Tape” backed by a solid groove, led by Marquis on trumpet with Makaya Mccraven on drums, Junius Paul on electric bass, Kiefer Shackelford on keyboards, and Bret Williams on Rhodes-keyboards.
In 2022, Marquis Hill released “New Gospel Revisited” on Edition Records – a live instrumental session allowing the music to speak for itself. It aims high and reaches with ease and settles on plateaus of spiritual jazz, but it is also more down-to-earth, harking back to earlier eras of jazz with a vibraphone. On this one he returns to songs from his debut album but revisited after years of growth and with exceptional players including the vibraphonist, Joel Ross; tenor saxophonist, Walter Smith III; bassist Harish Raghavan; pianist James Francies; and drummer Kendrick Scott.
“Rituals + Routines” (2023) on Edition Records returns to what could also be called interstellar jazz, for wont of a better term. “Rise – (All Possibilities featuring Ariesfool moon)” is the opener with spiritual advice, which is interspersed into each of the other cosmic funky-groove tracks. Julius Paul and Joel Ross return for this one, joined by others, and most noted on vocals, Phoelix.
Marquis’ current group, Creators Collective, brings back the influences of R&B and soul, but with 1970s love vibes, which he had explored on his “Love Tape” sessions in 2019 and 2020. On these, the spirit of Barry White was resurrected, with emphasis on the instrumentals, not Barry’s sexy voice, and with a bit of MFSB. With these influences, the Creators Collective does it in a warm jazz embrace. “A Star is Born” from their newest album could hold the key on this one for understanding Marquis’s unique path bridging his musical evolution with his own spiritual quest.
What most influences Marquis Hill to explore his musicianship so guided by the cosmos? Could it all be based on his astrological sign, as one definition online puts it: “Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, is ruled by Mars, the planet of action and energy. This influence is particularly strong for those born on April 15th, who tend to possess a strong drive and ambition. They are often leaders by nature, eager to take charge and initiate new projects or ideas.” But his search is much higher.
Marquis Hill’s Composers Collective tours Europe in March with dates and venues listed below.
March 5, Wednesday—G Livelab, Tampere, Finland
March 7, Friday—Fasching, Stockholm, Sweden
March 8, Saturday—Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK
March 11, Tuesday—New Morning, Paris, France
March 14, Friday—Jazz Dock, Prague, Czech Republic
March 15, Saturday—Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands
March 16, Sunday—Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam, Netherlands
March 18, Tuesday—Gretchen, Berlin, Germany
from https://jazzineurope.mfmmedia.nl

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snobb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 30361	Post Options Post Reply Quote snobb Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Led by the Stars, Marquis Hill Posted: 28 Feb 2025 at 4:29am
	Soul jazz and Spiritual Jazz are subgenres in jazz since the 1950s: for soul jazz it passes from Ray Charles to Jimmy Smith or Gary Bartz, who in particular also crosses over into spiritual-cosmic jazz explored deepest by the Coltranes (John and Alice), Pharoah Sanders, and Sun Ra. Marquis Hill, inspired by these, carves his own space bringing together religion and astrology. Marquis Hill entered the scene with his self-released debut, “New Gospel” (2011), a gospel-soul jazz mixture, but as importantly, a slow, funky groover with hip-hop and R&B for his base. After this, he founded the label, Black Unlimited Musical Group, which has released most of his recordings including his most recent one, “Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox” (2024). Marquis Hill’s Composers Collective trimmed to a quartet tours Europe in March with Marquis on trumpet, Mike King on keyboards, Junius Paul on bass, and Corey Fonville on drums. No doubt inspired by pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams’ 1945 recording “The Zodiac Suite,” the Chicago-born and based Marquis Hill (born April 15, 1987) stepped through the astronomical gates into a deeper Spiritual and Soul Jazz with “Soul Sign” (2020). As an Aries, himself, the album begins with his attributes for the track titled “Aries – I am – Mars,” as he says “Aries, the alfa, this is where it starts. Fire…” Marquis proceeds through the signs of the Zodiac like a wise or even stern tarot card reader backed by a blend of spiritual and soul (meaning with his jazz on the funkier-side) beats, and sharing vocals with female and male counterparts. This one was mostly a one-man production made during Covid-lockdowns, seemingly to set him free. However, an earlier recording of Marquis Hill was vital for him to reach this point, as well. This is his “Meditation Tape” (2017), which begins with the track “Good Morning” featuring Marvin, an American jazz drummer, based in Europe for about 25 years, or at least as he says, originally from New Jersey, but before that, California, is how he explains the place where he was introduced to meditation to tune into his, or rather the spirit, the body and mind as one, essential for his playing. Marvin provides the voice of spiritual wisdom throughout the “Meditation Tape” backed by a solid groove, led by Marquis on trumpet with Makaya Mccraven on drums, Junius Paul on electric bass, Kiefer Shackelford on keyboards, and Bret Williams on Rhodes-keyboards. In 2022, Marquis Hill released “New Gospel Revisited” on Edition Records – a live instrumental session allowing the music to speak for itself. It aims high and reaches with ease and settles on plateaus of spiritual jazz, but it is also more down-to-earth, harking back to earlier eras of jazz with a vibraphone. On this one he returns to songs from his debut album but revisited after years of growth and with exceptional players including the vibraphonist, Joel Ross; tenor saxophonist, Walter Smith III; bassist Harish Raghavan; pianist James Francies; and drummer Kendrick Scott. “Rituals + Routines” (2023) on Edition Records returns to what could also be called interstellar jazz, for wont of a better term. “Rise – (All Possibilities featuring Ariesfool moon)” is the opener with spiritual advice, which is interspersed into each of the other cosmic funky-groove tracks. Julius Paul and Joel Ross return for this one, joined by others, and most noted on vocals, Phoelix. Marquis’ current group, Creators Collective, brings back the influences of R&B and soul, but with 1970s love vibes, which he had explored on his “Love Tape” sessions in 2019 and 2020. On these, the spirit of Barry White was resurrected, with emphasis on the instrumentals, not Barry’s sexy voice, and with a bit of MFSB. With these influences, the Creators Collective does it in a warm jazz embrace. “A Star is Born” from their newest album could hold the key on this one for understanding Marquis’s unique path bridging his musical evolution with his own spiritual quest. What most influences Marquis Hill to explore his musicianship so guided by the cosmos? Could it all be based on his astrological sign, as one definition online puts it: “Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, is ruled by Mars, the planet of action and energy. This influence is particularly strong for those born on April 15th, who tend to possess a strong drive and ambition. They are often leaders by nature, eager to take charge and initiate new projects or ideas.” But his search is much higher. Marquis Hill’s Composers Collective tours Europe in March with dates and venues listed below. March 5, Wednesday—G Livelab, Tampere, Finland March 7, Friday—Fasching, Stockholm, Sweden March 8, Saturday—Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK March 11, Tuesday—New Morning, Paris, France March 14, Friday—Jazz Dock, Prague, Czech Republic March 15, Saturday—Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands March 16, Sunday—Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam, Netherlands March 18, Tuesday—Gretchen, Berlin, Germany from https://jazzineurope.mfmmedia.nl