Today is the birthday of jazz trumpeter, composer and producer Thomas Marriott. A graduate of Clarence Acox’s outstanding music program at Seattle’s Garfield High School, Marriott has gone on to become one of the most respected names in jazz.

Marriott followed up winning the 1999 Carmine Caruso Jazz Trumpet Competition by playing with the bands led by Tito Puente and Chico O’Farrill, and becoming the featured jazz soloist for three world tours with Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau Band. He also performed and recorded with the likes of Rosemary Clooney, Charlie Hunter, Stix Hooper, Michael Feinstein and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

Since returning to his hometown in 2004, Marriott has recorded 13 albums for Origin Records, including his 2009 record “East-West Trumpet Summit” which reached #1 on the national jazz radio airplay charts. His 2010 album “Constraints and Liberations” received critical acclaim in DownBeat magazine. In addition to his own records, Marriott has produced for other musicians including saxophonist Hadley Caliman and trumpeter Ray Vega. He also was the featured soloist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra for 20 years.

In addition to his playing, Thomas Marriot has served on the Board of Governors of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Board of Directors of Earshot Jazz. In 2021 he founded the non-profit Seattle Jazz Fellowship with “goals of building the local jazz community, increasing mentorship and lowering barrier to access the music as a performer and listener.”

Here is a link to Thomas Marriott playing music from his latest album during a studio session for KNKX radio:

"SCREEN TIME"