DRIVEN BY PASSION

A bold performer, soulful composer, and passionate educator, Marques Carroll is dedicated to preserving the authentic culture of Jazz while spreading his holistic love of music around the world.

Born into a musical family in St. Louis, Carroll fell in love with the trumpet at eight years old. His grandfather's connection to jazz legend Clark Terry introduced Carroll to an important musical lineage that would influence his development as both a performer and educator. He also developed a lifelong friendship with Wynton Marsalis, who became one of his greatest supporters and mentors.

Carroll's musical language has been shaped by the musical ancestors and innovators who came before him, including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Art Farmer, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, and Nicholas Payton. His studies at DePaul University earned him both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Jazz Studies Performance.

His musical career has taken him to stages around the world including the Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Montreal Jazz Festival and more. Carroll has also shared the stage with celebrated jazz artists including Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Heath, Jeff Hamilton, Bobby Watson, Tom Harrell, Jon Faddis, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Sean Jones, and Justin Robinson, as well as legendary Motown and soul artists including the late Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Mary Wilson.

From 2017–2019, Carroll toured internationally and nationally as a member of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra, swinging with one of the most celebrated ensembles in jazz history while collaborating and sharing the stage with artists including Carmen Bradford, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Eric Reed, Kurt Elling, and many others.

A storyteller at heart, Carroll draws from a broad multi-genre vocabulary to break down barriers between musical traditions. Rooted in the tradition of Black American Music (BAM), his work consciously engages and challenges the boundaries of Blues, Funk, Soul, Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop, and Jazz, creating new spaces for expression while remaining deeply connected to the music's cultural foundations.

Carroll captures his musical journey through his original compositions and recordings, including The Ancestors' Call and Foundations, both released through JMarq Records.

His debut album, The Ancestors' Call, was considered for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards for Best Jazz Album. The project is a soulful exploration of culture and consciousness, reflecting on the African Diaspora through compositions including “The Ancestors' Call Upon Us,” “Generational Response,” and “Beyond the Battle.”

Black Grooves recognized Carroll's arrival on the Chicago jazz scene, writing:

“Chicago's legacy as the birthplace or training ground for some of the genre's most innovative and technically adept trumpeters is solidified...”

His follow-up album, Foundations, is a tribute to the mentors, teachers, family, friends, and supporters who helped shape Carroll's musical journey. The album includes “Larry Sings” and “Brother Payton (BAM),” both featured in the Chicago-filmed television series The Bear.

Carroll's recording work also extends into film and television. He received an Emmy Award for his contribution to Invisible History: Middle Florida's Hidden Roots, a 2021 documentary exploring African heritage in Florida and musically scored by bassist and longtime friend Jahmal Nichols.

Carroll is the CEO and co-founder of JMarq Records and leads the Marques Carroll Quintet, the principal vehicle for his original compositions and one of the central expressions of his artistic identity.

His Quintet's recordings include The Ancestors' Call and Foundations, while his expanding live catalog documents the ensemble's ongoing exploration of Carroll's compositions, arrangements, and improvisational language.

Carroll leads The Trumpet Summit, a powerful Chicago-based ensemble bringing together multiple generations of trumpet voices to celebrate the lineage, community, and future of the instrument. The group released In Stride We Keep Steppin', recorded live at Chicago's Andy's Jazz Club.

Carroll's latest project, The Pamoja Project, is an exploratory ensemble rooted in the spirit of the late, great Roy Hargrove's RH Factor and its fusion of jazz, funk, soul, and contemporary electronic music. The project embraces a more electronic and groove-driven sonic landscape, incorporating contemporary production, layered textures, improvisation, and featured vocalists. Pamoja creates a space where the language of jazz intersects with the energy of funk, soul, hip-hop, and electronic music. The word Pamoja means “together” in Swahili, reflecting Carroll's vision for an ensemble built around collaboration, community, and collective expression.

Carroll's newest chapter as a recording artist focuses on the spontaneous energy and freedom of live performance. Recorded in Chicago in 2024, the latest Marques Carroll Quintet Live Recording Sessions document performances at four of the city's most important jazz venues: The Jazz Showcase, The Green Mill, Andy's Jazz Club, and Winter's Jazz Club.

These live recordings capture the Quintet in its natural environment—responding to the room, the audience, and one another while allowing Carroll's compositions to evolve through improvisation and collective interaction. The recordings are both a celebration of Chicago's enduring jazz culture and a document of the Quintet's continuing musical evolution. For Carroll, the live setting provides an opportunity to honor the tradition of the great jazz ensembles while allowing the music to remain open, spontaneous, and alive.

Carroll's artistic mission extends far beyond the stage. Since 2007, he has served as Musical Director of Chicago Jesuit Academy, where he has dedicated himself to developing young musicians and creating meaningful pathways into music education. Since 2021, Carroll has also served as a Jazz Trumpet Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and regularly presents clinics, workshops, and master classes nationally.

Carroll is the author of Holistic Trumpet, a three-volume method book series combining brass pedagogy, music theory, and daily practice routines designed to help musicians develop their playing from a comprehensive perspective.

From stages and recording studios to classrooms and community spaces, Carroll approaches his work with a mission of preservation, innovation, education, and unity. His music is not simply about playing the trumpet. It is about understanding where the music comes from, honoring the people who carried it forward, and finding new ways to move it into the future.

Have questions? Contact Marques HERE