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Marlon Jordan,
the youngest of seven children of musician-educator Edward Jordan
and Edvidge Jordan,
a classical pianist. "I started out playing saxophone, violin and
drums," says Marlon, "but the trumpet was the instrument that stuck
with me." Marlon recalls his father literally taking him on the
bandstand "even before I really knew how to play. He'd introduce me
to all the musicians, and they'd call me up on the stand. They'd
say, 'Come on. That's Kidd's son. Let him play."
As he continued his
musical studies he had the day to day inspiration of Wynton
Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, and many others to draw on. The young
musicians often hung out at the Jordan household where they would
practice music with Kent Jordan and take lessons from Edward Jordan.
Marlon graduated from the famed NOCCA (New Orleans Center for the
Creative Arts).
An accomplished
classical musician as well, Marlon has performed solo with the New
Orleans Symphony Orchestra. But his true joy is his constant
performance in the streets and nightclubs of New Orleans and Brazil.
His debut album
"For You Only," released by Columbia Records was the
source of unanimous praise from the press. It was named "one of the
best debut albums of the year" by the Washington Post. Following
the debut album's release, Marlon took his quintet on the road. They
joined Wynton Marsalis, Miles Davis and George Benson as a
headlining act in a series of JVC Festival dates (produced by George
Wein) in Atlanta, Dallas and other cities. They also played in some
of the country's top jazz clubs, including the Blue Note and the
Ritz, as well as in concerts ranging from New York's Avery Fisher
Hall to Binghamton University.
Marlon understood
that his continued growth as a musician depended on his ability to
stake out his own musical ground, and not just to play standards.
Following up on his own ideas, he wrote five of the tunes on his
second Columbia release "Learson's Return" (April
1991). Following a series of quintet dates immediately following
the album's release in the spring '91 (highlighted by a run at the
Village Vanguard), Marlon joined up with "Jazz Futures" - George
Wein's brilliantly-conceived 'supergroup' of "Young Lions" -
virtually playing every major jazz festival and outdoor 'shed' on
the circuit. |
