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Born 1977 in New Orleans, Jason is the youngest member of the famous Marsalis family. By the age of six, he had his first real drum set, and was taking lessons from the legendary New Orleans drummer James Black. He has not only inherited the virtuosity and compositional skills, associated with the Marsalis family, but has also developed a distinctive, polyrhythmic drumming style. His first professional gig was with his father’s jazz groups at the age of twelve. He graduated in 1995 from the acclaimed New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts High School (NOCCA). Jason has performed with international jazz luminaries such as Joe Henderson, Lionel Hampton, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, worked with straight-ahead combos, funk fusion bands, a Brazilian percussion ensemble, and even a Celtic group. He co-founded the wildly successful “Los Hombres Calientes”, and he joined up with the acclaimed pianist Marcus Roberts, while he studied classical percussion at Loyola University, and composition at Southern University in New Orleans. Jason Marsalis tours regularly, and most recently, he has been playing vibraphone as well. His maturity, sense of style, tastefulness and the command he possesses over his instrument, makes him one of the most versatile and swinging drummers of today. |