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Mead Witter School of Music Guest Artist Series

Marshall Gilkes, trombone

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Over the course of the past 20 years, Marshall Gilkes has established himself as one of the world’s preeminent trombonists.  A nonpareil artist at the forefront of brass playing, his virtuosic command of the instrument, marked by a warm and enveloping tone, Herculean chops, astounding flexibility and awe-inspiring range, place him in a league of his own.

With an incredible work ethic focused and shaped through his Juilliard training, Gilkes quickly became a force to be reckoned with, earning serious praise when he arrived on the scene near the dawn of the millennium.  His debut leader date—2004’s Edenderry–was an instant head-turner, presenting ear-catching compositions showcasing dexterous slide work and an appreciation for high-level interplay.  Released on the heels of his appearance as a finalist in the 2003 Thelonious Monk Institute International Trombone Competition, it served as a clear indicator of Gilkes’ emerging artistry. Broadening the scope of his imagination, he then looked toward the quintet format for 2008’s Lost Words and 2012’s Sound Stories.

Underscoring Gilkes’ many and varied strengths on trombone, each of those releases also highlighted his work as a composer. But it was a pair of albums with Germany’s WDR Big Band—an outgrowth of the trombonist’s four-year tenure with that ensemble (from 2010 to 2014)—that took things to the next level.  2015’s Köln, offering a 360-degree look at Gilkes as a writer, arranger, conductor and soloist, was a triumph of epic proportions, earning rave reviews and a pair of Grammy nominations.  An equally impressive follow-up—2018’s Always Forward—served as a compelling companion piece, cementing his status as one of the great big band composers of the modern era.