Marshall Raymond Hawkins
Marshall Raymond Hawkins lived on Eaton and Howard Roads. His exposure to music began with Birney Elementary School and Douglass Junior High School glee clubs. He learned to play drums and piano and by age 16 was the organist for church services throughout the Washington Metropolitan area. He asserts that Frank Maxwell, Superintendent of Music in the DC Public Schools, influenced his ultimate choice of instrument, the upright bass. Marshall played with Shirley Horn for four years in DC, joined the Miles Davis Quintet, played with Eddie Jefferson, toured with Richie Cole in Europe and Japan, performed with Roberta Flack at DC’s Mr. Henry’s, and eventually formed his own Marshall Hawkins Quintet.
He was inducted into the California Alliance of Jazz Hall of Fame in 2013. His classical credits include performances with the National Symphony as a guest soloist, His classical credits include performances with the National Symphony as guest soloist for a composition written for jazz bass and woodwind quintet; the San Jacinto Community College Orchestra, and the Idyllwild Arts Chamber and Festival orchestras.
Marshall now lives in Idyllwild, California where he has established a Jazz Studies program at Idyllwild Arts Academy. Here he teaches Lifestyles of Jazz and brings other art forms to the next generation of aspiring artists. He is Co founder and Music Director of Jazz in the Pines Music Festival–in its 19th year- which raises scholarship money for students attending the Idyllwild Arts Academy. The Marshall Hawkins Jazz Building was so named to honor Marshall’s more than two decades of service to Idyllwild Arts Academy. He also was the first recipient of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation “Lifetime in Arts Achievement Award.” In 2008, he was selected by The Goethe Institute to serve as ambassador to the International Jazzahead Conference in Bremen, Germany, representing the United States, ldylwild Arts Foundation, and Jazz in the Pines.
Seahawk Modern Jazz Orchestra (MOJO) is his latest venture. MOJO performs throughout Southern California raising money to promote jazz music and educational programs at elementary and secondary schools. ‘The world would ‘b-flat’ without music,” Marshall quips. Hawk is an avid tennis player and has received several awards for his competitive play. He says one thing is sure, ”I’m still East Coast, DC, and an Anacostia homeboy.”