Trombonist/composer Marshall Gilkes integrates myriad influences into a singular and distinctive voice, combining the spontaneous invention of jazz with the elegant architecture of classical composition and virtuosic technique with passionate emotion. His sound can be heard in the lush impressionism of the Maria Schneider Orchestra; the unique Slide Monsters Trombone Quartet; and New York’s thriving Latin music scene. He has conducted his music with the WDR Big Band, UMO Jazz Orchestra, Airmen of Note, and Army Blues.  He’s also performed with Makoto Ozone and No Name Horses, Billy Cobham, Richard Bona, and Edmar Castañeda. A finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2003, Gilkes has released five albums as a leader. The latest two, Köln and Always Forward feature his compositions for Germany’s WDR Big Band. Köln was nominated for two Grammy awards in 2016. Gilkes is a graduate of the Juilliard School and teaches at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.