Marion Meadows, one of the most recognizable names in contemporary jazz, will perform at the 11th John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (JCIJBF) with the Masters of Smooth on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Performing with him will be Alex Bugnon, Karyn White, Jessy J., Gerald Veasley, and Poogie Bell.
DR. MARION MEADOWS
The soprano saxophonist hails from Stamford, CT by way of West Virginia where he was born.
He studied classical music as a child, first taking up the clarinet, moved to tenor before finally choosing the soprano sax.as his instrument. He attended Berklee College of Music and majored in arranging and composition, later enrolled in SUNY Purchase School for the Arts. Five years ago, he received his doctorate in music from Wilberforce University.
TAKING IT SOLO
Marion Meadows was influenced by saxophone greats such as Sidney Bechet, Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane, and Dexter Gordon. He perfected his craft studying with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman and Eddie Daniels, but got his first real break when drummer and producer Norman Connors invited Meadows to join his band. In 1991, Marion Meadows released For Lovers Only, his first solo album. It garnered wide radio airplay and listener attention. He became a staple of the smooth jazz format landing most of his later releases on the top of the contemporary jazz charts including the 1999 Another Side of Midnight, Secrets in 2009, and Whisper in 2013, the 2018 Soul City in 2018 and his latest Twice as Nice released in 2021.
