Marshall Gilkes

Marshall Gilkes was born in Camp Springs, Maryland to a musical family; his mother was a classical vocalist and pianist and his father was a conductor of the Air Force Academy Band. Due to his father's military profession, he had an itinerant upbringing in Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, New Jersey, Alabama, Illinois, and Colorado.

He received his early musical training at the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Northern Colorado, and William Patterson University. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School. His teachers include Joseph Alessi, Conrad Herwig, Buddy Baker, Ed Neumeister, and Wycliffe Gordon.

In 2003, Gilkes was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.[1]

Gilkes played in the Maria Schneider Orchestra[2] and David Berger's Sultans of Swing. He is a member of the Edmar Castañeda Trio. He has performed with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra,[2] Duke Ellington Orchestra, Stanley Turrentine, and Benny Golson. In the Latin music community, he has performed with Machito,[2] Giovanni Hidalgo, Chico O'Farrill, Tito Nieves, Big 3 Palladium Orchestra, Raulin Rosendo, Ray Sepúlveda, Eddie Santiago, José Alberto "El Canario", and Iroko La Banda. He played in the 2000–2001 National and Japanese tours of the Broadway show Swing!.

Gilkes has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, and South America. Previous performance engagements include the Umbria Jazz Festival, Vienna Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, Tokyo's Orchard Hall, and the Moscow Conservatory. In March 2008, he was invited to perform with the jazz drummer Billy Cobham and the Adelaide Philharmonic at the Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts in Australia. He was a guest performer at the International Trombone Festival from May 28–31, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

With the exception of one track, he composed new material for his 2004 record, "Edenderry." The album received excellent reviews from, among others, Jazz Times, All About Jazz,[1] and the Trombone Journal.

In 2010, he became a full-time member of the Grammy Award-winning WDR Big Band.

In February 2015, he released his album Köln, his first fronting a big band. Köln received two Grammy nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and Best Instrumental Composition.[3]

• Official Website
• Edenderry review at All About Jazz by Michael P. Gladstone