Marquis Hill

On 16 April 2026 the American trumpeter and composer Marquis Hill performs at PLT - Theater Heerlen. Born and raised in Chicago, he finds his own voice where the local jazz tradition intersects with soul, hip‑hop and R&B. On stage Hill moves effortlessly between strong melodic lines and rhythmic patterns that breathe like beats, sometimes leaving room for spoken word. His approach balances fully developed compositions with open improvisation, shifting seamlessly from post‑bop energy to more contemplative grooves.

Winning the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition in 2014 accelerated his trajectory and provided a solid foundation for his Blacktet, an incubator for his current writing and band sound. His repertoire includes pieces from New Gospel, The Way We Play, Modern Flows Vol. 2, Love Tape and New Gospel Revisited — a continuous exploration of tradition, rhythm and timbre. Hill tours extensively across the U.S. and Europe, collaborates with the likes of Makaya McCraven and Joel Ross, and brings that broad experience to Heerlen for a set in which narrative trumpet, pulsing grooves and contemporary jazz logic meet.