Marion Meadows

Rooted in contemporary jazz alongside adult contemporary R&B, American saxophonist and composer Marion Meadows developed his signature voice on the soprano saxophone after beginning as a tenor player and switching before finishing high school, a choice he has maintained ever since. His playing became known for a sharp yet warm and sweetly lyrical edge. Following several years alongside Norman Connors, he established himself as both a session musician and a stage performer. The 1990 leader debut For Lovers Only quickly turned him into a regular presence on smooth jazz radio, while 1994’s Forbidden Fruit simultaneously reached the Top Ten on the jazz and contemporary jazz charts. Further momentum arrived via 2000’s Next to You and 2002’s Player’s Club; six singles from 2004’s Dressed to Chill also landed inside the Top 20. The best-selling Soul Traveler, released in 2015, climbed to number ten on the contemporary jazz list, and Meadows returned in 2021 with Twice as Nice.

Born in West Virginia and raised mainly in Connecticut, Meadows took up classical clarinet at age nine before moving to tenor saxophone in his teens and later adopting the soprano horn. At Boston’s Berklee College of Music he concentrated on composition and arranging, studying with Sonny Fortune, Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, and Eddie Daniels while playing in pickup groups and taking sideman work with R&B and jazz artists to sharpen his commercial skills.

Soon after graduation he began working as a studio arranger, composer, and session player. Norman Connors cut Meadows’ composition “Invitation” and then brought him into the Starship Orchestra; Meadows later co-produced Connors’ Passion album alongside Jacques Burvick of Aquarium Dream. In the late 1980s, while waiting for a train at New York’s Grand Central Station, he took out his horn and started playing; producer and television composer Jay Chattaway, also waiting, was struck by the distinctive soprano tone and phrasing and introduced him to keyboardist and producer Bob James. Although the resulting recording remained unreleased, the collaboration convinced Meadows to pursue a solo career. He became a sought-after sideman, appearing on recordings and performances with artists that ranged from Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, and Phyllis Hyman to Ray Charles, the Temptations, and Angela Bofill, among many others. In 1988 he further expanded his range by joining the short-lived avant-garde group Aboriginal Music Society.

In 1990 Meadows presented a solo project to Steve Backer at Novus/RCA and secured a contract. His debut, For Lovers Only, appeared that year on RCA, followed in 1992 by Keep It Right There. After touring he returned two years later with Forbidden Fruit, which again landed inside the Top Ten on both the jazz and contemporary jazz charts, while 1995’s Body Rhythm finished just outside those rankings. He moved to the Discovery label for 1997’s Pleasure, which reached the Top 20 on the jazz charts. His subsequent association with Heads Up produced 1999’s Another Side of Midnight, 2000’s Next to You, and 2002’s In Deep, all of which charted. Although smooth jazz radio declined in the twenty-first century, continued Heads Up releases and international touring sustained his visibility, as did his parallel pursuits as a semi-professional cyclist and graphic artist/designer.

Player’s Club, issued in 2004 with help from several co-producers, reached number 14 on the jazz albums chart. The title track from 2006’s Dressed to Chill peaked at number three on the smooth jazz songs chart and stayed on the list for more than forty weeks; five additional singles from the album also appeared on various charts. Secrets, recorded in 2009 with the same production team, climbed to number 11 on the jazz albums list and marked Meadows’ final release for Heads Up; every track was written by the saxophonist except for a lithe closing version of Pat Metheny’s “Here to Stay.”

Over the following years he toured extensively throughout the United States, Japan, and the Caribbean. He joined Shanachie in 2012 and delivered his first album for the label, Whisper, in winter 2013. Only Mike Broening remained from his longtime production circle; newcomers Rahni Song and guitarist Carlos Pennisi joined him. The set reached number nine on the jazz albums chart. After another successful tour, Meadows returned to the studio for 2015’s Soul Traveler, co-produced with Pennisi; it rose to number five on the Jazz Albums chart and remained there for eight weeks.

In 2016 the saxophonist earned a doctorate in music from Wilberforce University. Soul City, released in spring 2018 and co-produced with Chris “Big Dog” Davis, Rahni Song, and Dave Love, featured an all-star lineup that included Norman Brown and Joey Sommerville on the title track, Maysa and Peter White on “Dreamin’,” and Will Gaines on “You.” Issued in January, it reached number two on the jazz albums chart and registered strongly on streaming platforms.

Meadows delivered his first holiday recording, Christmas with You, in 2019, then spent the pandemic period composing and demoing new material. In April 2021 he released Twice as Nice on Shanachie, enlisting first-call collaborators such as Paul Brown, Jeff Lorber, Dave Mann, Steve Oliver, and Sommerville. That May he appeared as a guest on labelmate Marc Antoine’s Groovy Sunday.