Marcus Joseph was classically trained on the clarinet from age seven, taking his ABRSM grades up to Grade 8 in school and has played in various Leicestershire Arts county bands and orchestras. A brief stint in a hip-hop group as a DJ and MC resulted in airplay on BBC Radio 1Xtra, but after attending a jazz workshop in London Marcus was inspired to pick up the saxophone full-time and studied in Leeds, London and New Orleans.
Marcus’ childhood experience as the only African-Caribbean boy playing a classical instrument in ensembles later developed a passion for working with youth to cultivate interest in live music and musicianship.
Since the release of his debut E.P ‘Real Talk’ his career as a full-time musician and a spoken word artist has surged, leading to many achievements both personally and professionally. Marcus performed alongside internationally renowned vocalist Emily Saunders and award-winning singer/ songwriter Angie Brown at the London Jazz Festival 2018. Last autumn he performed an intimate set at Sofar Sounds in his hometown Leicester, as well as performing alongside American artist Steffani Jamison for her collaborative exhibition ‘Recitatif: Never say anything at all’ at Nottingham Contemporary.
In 2018 he was selected as one of Sound and Music’s 2018 New Voices programme, on which he is creating his debut album, scheduled for release in 2020.
Marcus continues to teach, compose and develop his own unique sound: a warm fusion of Jazz, reggae, hip-hop and contemporary music.