Jason Marshall is a premier voice on the baritone saxophone, rooted in the bebop tradition yet deeply expansive in his musical curiosity. Based in New York City since 2003, he has built a wide-reaching career as a performer, composer, arranger, educator, and cultural voice. His work honors the joy, complexity, and legacy of Black American music, spanning styles and generations with integrity and soul.
Jason holds a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Saxophone from The New School’s School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. Over the past two decades, he has brought his artistry to stages around the world, performing and recording with his own ensemble as well as with artists including Roy Hargrove, Aretha Franklin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Chaka Khan, Abdullah Ibrahim, Hermeto Pascoal, Kurt Elling, The Roots, The Temptations, Mingus Big Band, Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Birdland Big Band, Birdland Latin Jazz Orchestra, and New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.
His discography as a leader includes Overt Negritude (2006), Sign the Book (2010), Joy Unspeakable (2020), and New Beginnings (2022, Cellar Live). As a sideman, he has contributed to acclaimed projects including Emergence (Roy Hargrove Big Band), Timeless (Kenny Lattimore), Echoes of Ethnicity (Derrick Gardner), Such Sweet Thunder (Delfeayo Marsalis), Centennial Sessions (Mingus Big Band), Storybook (Birdland Big Band), and Soto Blue (Abdullah Ibrahim).
Beyond the bandstand, Jason is a devoted educator. He currently teaches at Montclair State University and The New School, and leads ensembles and instrumental instruction with Jazz House Kids (Montclair and Trinity programs).
