Midwest Jazz Collective has announced a 14-stop tour (beginning at Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor and concluding at Berlin Jazz Club inn Minneapolis) featuring Thelonious Monk Competition-winning trumpeter Marquis Hill, bassist Micah Collier, and drummer Jillian Upshaw in their first-ever collaboration. Spanning 10 concert engagements and 4 educational workshops at regional universities, this tour brings together three distinctive voices in jazz for a dynamic series of performances and educational experiences designed to connect audiences and students with the artistry, creativity, and tradition of jazz.
Marquis Hill is an internationally acclaimed trumpeter and composer born and raised on Chicago’s South Side.He emerged from the city’s celebrated jazz community before establishing an international career as a bandleader and recording artist. Hill’s music reflects his belief that musical boundaries are ultimately artificial. Jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Chicago house and neo-soul all inform a distinctive approach defined by lyrical trumpet playing, rhythmic depth and an expansive view of improvisation and composition.
This tour supports Hill’s 2026 release (Beautifulism) Sweet Surrender, issued on his own Black Unlimited Music Group imprint. With the Sweet Surrender Trio, Hill reimagines that musical world through an intimate, highly interactive ensemble featuring bassist Micah Collier and drummer Jillian Upshaw. Hill’s trumpet and electronics, Collier’s bass, and Upshaw’s drums and electronics leave ample room for improvisation, rhythmic exploration and spontaneous interaction.
The tour connects an artist shaped by the Midwest with the network of musicians, educators, presenters and audiences that continues to sustain jazz throughout the region
TOUR DATES
Wednesday, November 4
Blue LLama Jazz Club
314 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 372-3200 | BlueLLLamaclub.com
Thursday, November 5
BOP STOP @ The Music Settlement
2920 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 771-6551 | TheMusicSettlement.org
Friday, November 6
Ginger Rabbit Jazz Lounge
17 Buttles Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 929-5298 | GingerRabbitJazz.com
Saturday, November 7
Caffè Vivace
975 E McMillan St, Cincinnati, OH 45206
(513) 601-9897 |CaffeVivace.com
Sunday, November 8
The Jazz Kitchen
5377 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220
(317) 253-4900 | TheJazzKitchen.com
Thursday, November 12
We Always Swing
21 N 10th Street, Columbia, MO 65201
(573) 449-3009 | WeAlwaysSwing.org
Saturday, November 14
Noce
1326 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 244-5399 | NoceDSM.com
Sunday, November 15
Berlin
204 N 1st Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401
(763) 264-6106 | BerlinMPLS.com
Masterclasses coinciding with the tour
- 11/4 Masterclass — University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
- 11/6 Masterclass — Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- 11/16 Masterclass – University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point WI
- 11/17 Masterclass — Lawrence University, Appleton, WI
MIDWEST JAZZ COLLECTIVE (MJC) is a consortium of nearly 20 clubs and presenters dedicated to jazz across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. They are aligned with a shared passion for the preservation and advancement of the great American art form that is jazz. The Marquis Hill tour marks MJC’s third collaboratively routed tour.
