Marlon Martinez

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.