Marquis Hill Sets His Own Standards

A brilliant trumpeter wanted new music. He turned to some friends.

First, big congrats to the 2025 class of NEA Jazz Masters! All four — saxophonist Marshall Allen, pianists Chucho Valdés and Marilyn Crispell, and critic Gary Giddins — are personal heroes. I wrote up the announcement yesterday for NPR Music.

I’ve been loving the responses to The 14 Best Music Books of the 21st Century: it’s fun to see some lively (nonto…