Marshall Gilkes was born in Camp Springs, Maryland to a musical family; his mother was a classical vocalist and pianist and his father was a conductor of the Air Force Academy Band. Due to his father's military profession, Gilkes had a rather itinerant upbringing in Washington D.C., New Hampshire, New Jersey, Alabama, Illinois, and Colorado.
Gilkes received his early musical training at the Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Northern Colorado, and William Patterson University. He holds a bachelor's of music degree from the Juilliard School. His teachers include Joseph Alessi, Conrad Herwig, Bud Baker, Ed Neumeister, and Wycliffe Gordon.
In 2003, Marshall Gilkes was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.
Gilkes currently plays in the Maria Schneider Orchestra and David Berger's Sultans of Swing. He is also a member of the internationally acclaimed Edmar Castañeda Trio. His performance experience encompasses a wide range of musical styles; he has performed with the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Stanley Turrentine, and Benny Golson. In the Latin music community, he’s performed with Machito, Giovanni Hidalgo, Chico O’Farrell, Tito Nieves, Big 3 Palladium Orchestra, Raulin Rosendo, Ray Sepulveda, Eddie Santiago, Jose Alberto, and Iroko La Banda. Additionally, he played in the 2000-2001 National and Japanese tours of the Broadway show "Swing!."
Gilkes has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, and South America. Previous performance engagements include the Umbria Jazz Festival, Vienna Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, Tokyo’s Orchard Hall, and the Moscow Conservatory.
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