Jason Marsalis Quartet

Jason Marsalis brings his band of New Orleans jazz luminaries to the 2026 TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival

 

 

"Jason Marsalis has developed into an irrepressible force since taking up vibes, shifting his focus from drums about 20 years ago."
- Downbeat Magazine

 

About the Jason Marsalis Quartet

Born into New Orleans’ first family of jazz, Jason Marsalis - youngest son of the late pianist-educator Ellis Marsalis Jr. and brother to Wynton, Branford, and Delfeayo - has carved his own unmistakable path as both a virtuosic drummer and one of today’s most imaginative voices on the vibraphone.

Marsalis launched his career behind the drum kit, and by his late teens he was touring the world with Marcus Roberts, digging deeply into mainstream jazz, fusion, Brazilian influences, and the full spectrum of New Orleans traditions. His sideman credits read like a modern jazz honour roll: Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, Jon Batiste, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, among others. He has also served as a Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department.

In the early 2000s, Marsalis shifted his creative focus to the vibraphone - a move that has since positioned him as one of the instrument’s essential contemporary innovators. Through his Vibes Quartet and numerous collaborations, he has pushed the American vibraphone lineage forward with wit, clarity, and a deep sense of swing. In 2011, he became the youngest-ever recipient of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship when the Marsalis family was honoured at the White House and the Kennedy Center. His 2013 album In a World of Mallets topped the CMJ radio charts at Number 1.

For this special concert - featuring clarinetist Joe Goldberg, pianist Kris Tokarski, and drummer Gerald T. Watkins - the Jason Marsalis Quartet offers a vibrant, forward-looking celebration of Lionel Hampton, created with the blessing of the Lionel Hampton Estate.

Marsalis approaches Hampton’s repertoire not as archival material but as living, breathing music: joyful, hard-swinging, and fully alive in the present. Expect ringing vibes, deep grooves, and the kind of electric stage energy that defined Hampton’s legacy - channelled through Jason Marsalis’s own blend of humility, fire, and unmistakable New Orleans spirit.

 

 

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About Jazz Winnipeg

Jazz Winnipeg is a charitable, non-profit organization promoting the art of jazz and creative music through concert presentations and community engagement. As producers of the annual TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival as well as concerts and workshops throughout the year, Jazz Winnipeg is a vibrant and essential organization dedicated to the enrichment of Winnipeg's cultural community.