Hailing from Los Angeles, Marlon Martinez is a young virtuoso bassist and composer emerging at the center of the resurgent Los Angeles jazz scene. He has demonstrated his virtuosity while touring with a wide range of artists, from rock icon Stewart Copeland to classical trailblazers Quatuor Ebène. Marlon is the protégé of Stanley Clarke and studied with legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter in New York City. He is the Artistic Director, composer and bassist of his big band, Marlonius Jazz Orchestra. Marlon is a winner of Colburn School’s 2020 New Venture Competition and was selected as an artist-in-residence for the inaugural Amplify Series at the Colburn School in 2022.
Marlon received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees on a full scholarship at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, as a classical bass student of Leigh Mesh and Peter Lloyd from 2009-2015. An avid orchestral musician, Marlon has performed for renowned classical conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, and the late Sir Neville Marriner. In 2010 and 2011, Marlon was selected to join the highly acclaimed Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. During his membership, he performed under the baton of Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev and Neeme Järvi among others. He performed with international classical soloists such as Mischa Maisky, Yuja Wang, and Deborah Voigt. Marlon is a member of Wild Up, and he has performed with the San Diego Symphony, the Martha Graham Dance Academy, Ojai Festival Orchestra, Southeast Symphony and the New West Symphony.
As a jazz performer, Marlon played with the late Ellis Marsalis at Snug Harbor in 2017. In 2019 he played with Ravi Coltrane and Gerry Gibbs for the album release of Thrasher People: Our People, and with Nicholas Payton and the Kojo Odu Roney Experience at Blue Note New York. Marlon performs in jazz ensembles with David Bowie veteran Mike Garson, and was a featured soloist at the world premiere of Garson's Symphonic Suite for Healing in 2013. As a faculty member at the Centrum 2023 jazz workshop in Port Townsend, Marlon performed with John Clayton, Terell Stafford, Tia Fuller, Jeff Hamilton, Rene Marie and Wycliffe Gordon among others. As a studio musician in Los Angeles, Marlon has recorded for artists such as Seth MacFarlane, Michael Giacchino, Justin Hurwitz, and Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox. Notable tour appearances include the 2015 21C Music Festival with Stewart Copeland and Jon Kimura Parker in Off The Score, the 2016 Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Academy with Quatuor Ebène and Stacey Kent, the premiere of his composition Jazz Impressions for String Orchestra, No. 1 at the 2016 Festival du Haut Limousin, and Don't Box Me In: An Intimate Evening with Stewart Copeland at Long Beach Opera in 2018.
Marlon is an authority and educator on the jazz composer Billy Strayhorn. Dedicated to celebrating Strayhorn’s legacy, Marlon created Ever Up And Onward: A Tribute To Billy Strayhorn in 2022, an eight episode video series presented by Colburn School that explores his life and music. As an Amplify Series artist-in-residence at Colburn School, Marlon recorded and revived classic and newly discovered Strayhorn compositions with Marlonius Jazz Orchestra. The album, Marlonius | Strayhorn, Vol. 1 will be released in 2025 and the single "All Day Long '' is now available. Marlon was a guest speaker at the Library Of Congress for the 2023 Strayhorn: Known and Unknown discussion panel. Marlon's projects are made possible by the continuous support of Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. and the Billy Strayhorn Foundation. Marlon's 2017 debut album, Yours Truly, demonstrates his versatility as a bassist and composer, and highlights guest artists Stewart Copeland, Judd Miller on his fusion track “HD.” Yours Truly is available on all streaming and downloadable platforms. IG: @marloniusmusic
