Morgan Guerin

Saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Morgan Guerin is known for his sophisticated, vibe-heavy blend of post-bop jazz, fusion, hip-hop, and R&B. He initially garnered attention playing with artists like Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lyne Carrington, earning a Grammy nomination with the latter in 2019. He released his biographical debut album, The Saga, in 2016, playing most of the instruments himself. Two more albums followed in 2017's The Saga II and 2020's The Saga III, each detailing his growth as a musician and featuring collaborations with jazz instrumentalists, singers, and rappers. With 2024's Tales of the Facade he further expanded his genre-bending sound. Born 1998 in New Orleans, Guerin grew up in a musical family as the son of bassist Roland Guerin; his mother was an attorney. He started on drums and saxophone at a young age and was exposed early on to a mix of modern and traditional jazz sounds via the musicians his father performed with. After his parents' divorce, he moved with his mother to Atlanta, Georgia, where he encountered an array of styles, from hip-hop and funk to neo-soul and EDM. He began to nurture all of these influences into his playing, all the while attending camps like the Vail Jazz Workshop and the summer jazz programs at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. As a teenager, he was selected as a member of the Grammy Band that was featured at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. After high school, he continued to hone his skills, studying at New York's New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he graduated with his master's degree in Jazz. It was while still in college that he made his debut as leader, releasing 2016's The Saga, a conceptual diary of his musical life from childhood to adulthood that showcased his stylistically wide-ranging tastes and found him playing most of the instruments. He continued the story on The Saga II in 2017, an equally ambitious project that again found him playing many of the instruments, along with contributions by his father as well as organist Julius Rodriguez, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and others. In 2019, he toured and recorded with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, playing on her Grammy-nominated album Waiting Game. He has also played with a bevy of other artists, including Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Tyshawn Sorey, and Esperanza Spalding. In 2020, he delivered The Saga III, a continuation of his biographical approach to songwriting. It featured contributions by singers Safa and Debo Ray, guitarist Matthew Stevens, and others. His diaristic compositional work took on a more philosophical and existential bent on 2024's Tales of the Facade, touching upon themes of identity and society. It also found him further exploring a genre-blending mix of jazz, hip-hop, and R&B with guests including vocalists Zacchae'us Paul, J. Hoard, and Kokayi; trumpeter Milena Casado; flutist Keenyn Omari; and more.
© Matt Collar /TiVo