Marcus Baylor, a native of St. Louis, began playing the drums at two years old.

Watching his cousin play every Sunday morning fascinated him so much so that aft
er each service, he'd jump on the set and mimmick what he heard first hand. At h
ome, he played on everything from pots and pans, to his mother's living room fur
niture. It soon became evident that this was a gift from God and should be taken
seriously. Not long after, Marcus became the official drummer at his father's c
hurch. From that point on, he played at tent revivals, concerts and all services
affiliated with the church. "Playing at church was the greatest start I could e
ver have because I constantly played and it served as a platform to develop a so
und."
Marcus' introduction to jazz came in junior high school. Ironically, a friend pl
ayed him a Yellowjackets record. Although different, there were certain similari
ties in their music and gospel, the music Marcus was so familiar with. But, some
thing sparked in him the first time he saw jazz played live.What attracted him t
o this music was that it was something he never heard and found it to be a chall
enge, a new sound to develop. After scratching the surface, Marcus was eager to
learn about those that came before them. He discovered Art Blakey and The Jazz M
essengers, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and many other jazz greats. As Marcus b
ecame more exposed to this music, he excelled quickly in the language of jazz. H
e joined his school jazz band, won the Southern Illinois University high school
big band competition and made All District Jazz Band.
At the close of high school, Marcus was offered a four year scholarship at Manne
s School of Music in New York City. This was his first chance to study the music
from a traditional perspective. He was fortunate to study with some of his musi
cal heroes, Lewis Nash, Chico Hamilton, Michael Carvin and Buster Williams. Bein
g in New York City afforded him all that was available in the jazz world from be
ing able to hear great musicians as well as play with them. During his sophomore
year, Marcus began playing local gigs, one of which was with the music director
for Cassandra Wilson, who invited him for an audition with the band. This was a
significant turning point in Baylor's career as he recorded for the first time
with Wilson on "Travelin' Miles", featuring the music of Miles Davis. "Playing w
ith Cassandra, I learned to hear and play different textures, or 'colors' as she
called it, and explore different dynamics." While on tour, there were many memo
rable moments as renowned artists sat in with the band. Among them were George B
enson, Dave Holland, Regina Carter and Olu Dara. Meanwhile, Baylor earned his Ba
chelor of Fine Arts degree.
Following Wilson, Marcus began working with Kenny Garrett. He explains this oppo
rtunity as "a dream come true". For Marcus, this was a chance to open up and exp
lore another side of playing jazz music. More than just a musician, Kenny was al
so a teacher and mentor. Working with him, Marcus gained a tremendous understand
ing of the history of rhythm, phrasing and ultimately a sound within the music.
It also granted him an enormous amount of exposure as others heard him play and
consequently opened up many doors. He recorded a song with Kenny on the album, "
Happy People". Also on the road with Garrett, Marcus was exposed to playing with
other greats such as Chick Corea and Freddie Hubbard. Independently, Baylor has
worked with John Scofield, Joshua Redman (Elastic Band), Greg Osby, Cyrus Chest
nut, Stephon Harris, Junior Mance, Nicholas Payton, Lamont Johnson and East St.
Louis native, Russell Gunn.
As Marcus Baylor comes into his own, he has found himself in the chair of one of
the longest running and most loved contemporary jazz groups. Marcus has been pl
aying with the Yellowjackets since 2000. In that time, he recorded his first rec
ord with them, "Mint Jam", a live recording at The Mint in California, and "Time
Squared". When asked what he likes most about being a part of the Yellowjackets
, "The Yellowjackets allow me the creative space to lend my own personality to t
he music. It's been a blessing and a dream come true to play with a group that I
've listened to for so many years." Concerning his future, Marcus adds, "Music i

s a special gift from God. As it has blessed me, I pray that it will be used as
a light to reach, touch and inspire lives all over the world."
Update 2010:
Marcus departed Yellowjackets at the beginning of 2010 to further pursue his mus
ical career.