Biography
Saxophonist Morgan Guerin, who also works as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer, has built a reputation around his refined, atmosphere-rich fusion of post-bop jazz, fusion, hip-hop, and R&B. Early notice arrived through sideman work alongside Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lyne Carrington, the latter partnership yielding a Grammy nomination in 2019. His first album under his own name, the autobiographical The Saga, appeared in 2016 with Guerin handling the bulk of the instrumental duties. Follow-up projects arrived in the form of The Saga II in 2017 and The Saga III in 2020, each chronicling his artistic development and incorporating input from jazz players, vocalists, and rappers. The 2024 release Tales of the Facade pushed his cross-genre approach even farther.
Guerin entered the world in New Orleans in 1998 into a household steeped in music as the child of bassist Roland Guerin and an attorney mother. He took up drums and saxophone while still young, absorbing both contemporary and classic jazz through the circle of musicians around his father. Following his parents’ separation he relocated with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where he absorbed additional influences ranging from hip-hop and funk to neo-soul and EDM. He cultivated these varied sources while participating in programs such as the Vail Jazz Workshop and Berklee School of Music’s summer sessions in Boston. During his teenage years he earned a spot in the Grammy Band that performed at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. After finishing high school he pursued further training at New York’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, ultimately completing a master’s degree in Jazz.
Still an undergraduate, he issued his debut leader date, 2016’s The Saga, a conceptual chronicle tracing his musical path from childhood through early adulthood that highlighted his broad stylistic palette and featured him on the majority of instruments. The narrative continued with The Saga II in 2017, another expansive effort on which he again performed many parts, joined by his father, organist Julius Rodriguez, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and additional guests. In 2019 he toured and recorded with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, contributing to her Grammy-nominated album Waiting Game. Additional collaborators during this period included Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding.
The Saga III arrived in 2020, extending his autobiographical songwriting approach with appearances by vocalists Safa and Debo Ray, guitarist Matthew Stevens, and others. His reflective compositional focus acquired a more philosophical and existential character on 2024’s Tales of the Facade, addressing questions of identity and society while deepening a hybrid sound that merged jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. Guests on that project encompassed vocalists Zacchae'us Paul, J. Hoard, and Kokayi, trumpeter Milena Casado, flutist Keenyn Omari, and further contributors.
Guerin entered the world in New Orleans in 1998 into a household steeped in music as the child of bassist Roland Guerin and an attorney mother. He took up drums and saxophone while still young, absorbing both contemporary and classic jazz through the circle of musicians around his father. Following his parents’ separation he relocated with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where he absorbed additional influences ranging from hip-hop and funk to neo-soul and EDM. He cultivated these varied sources while participating in programs such as the Vail Jazz Workshop and Berklee School of Music’s summer sessions in Boston. During his teenage years he earned a spot in the Grammy Band that performed at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. After finishing high school he pursued further training at New York’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, ultimately completing a master’s degree in Jazz.
Still an undergraduate, he issued his debut leader date, 2016’s The Saga, a conceptual chronicle tracing his musical path from childhood through early adulthood that highlighted his broad stylistic palette and featured him on the majority of instruments. The narrative continued with The Saga II in 2017, another expansive effort on which he again performed many parts, joined by his father, organist Julius Rodriguez, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and additional guests. In 2019 he toured and recorded with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, contributing to her Grammy-nominated album Waiting Game. Additional collaborators during this period included Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding.
The Saga III arrived in 2020, extending his autobiographical songwriting approach with appearances by vocalists Safa and Debo Ray, guitarist Matthew Stevens, and others. His reflective compositional focus acquired a more philosophical and existential character on 2024’s Tales of the Facade, addressing questions of identity and society while deepening a hybrid sound that merged jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. Guests on that project encompassed vocalists Zacchae'us Paul, J. Hoard, and Kokayi, trumpeter Milena Casado, flutist Keenyn Omari, and further contributors.
Albums
Singles
