Eight-time Grammy® nominee and NAACP Image Award Winning duo, The Baylor Project will grace the stage with their unique blend of jazz, blues and gospel on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 at the John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival.
A husband. A wife. An astonishing duo built on love, family, faith, culture and community. These are the things that power The Baylor Project featuring vocalist Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor. This enticing collaboration is steeped in the heart and soul of jazz. As the children of Pastors, Marcus’ and Jean’s musical roots were planted deep within the church, and it was there that the road was paved for the influence of jazz, gospel, blues and soul to make its mark.
SWING AND TIME
Jean, a “Jersey Girl”, was introduced to jazz in college as a Vocal Performance Major at Temple University, where she was heavily influenced by artists such as Carmen McCrae, Jimmy Scott, and Shirley Horn. She subsequently made her mark as one-half of the platinum recording duo, Zhane´. In time, Jean grew into a composer, arranger, producer and bandleader. She has been a featured guest artist on performances and recordings with artists including Yellowjackets, Kenny Garrett, Marcus Miller and legendary bassist, Buster Williams.
Marcus, a St. Louis native, is widely recognized as the former member and drummer of the Grammy® Award-winning jazz quartet, Yellowjackets. While attending The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, he began touring and recording with Cassandra Wilson and went on to work with artists including Kenny Garrett and John Scofield. Since then, Marcus has come into his own as a composer, arranger, producer and bandleader.
MUSIC LOVES FROM THE START
Their debut CD The Journey, released on their own label, Be A Light LLC, topped the Billboard Jazz Chart at Number 8 in 2017 and a year later garnered two Grammy® nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance. Two years later, during one of the most challenging years in recent history, The Baylors released their single, “Sit On Down” in 2020 and garnered a third Grammy® nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance. This solidified The Baylor Project as an undeniable force. Their second album, Generations, released in 2021 earned the duo its first NAACP Image Award win for Outstanding Jazz Album-Vocal and their fourth Grammy® nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
The Baylor’s first live album, The Evening: Live At APPARATUS, earned them their fifth and sixth Grammy® nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo. A collaboration with Adam Blackstone and Russell Ferrante earned them a seventh
Grammy® nomination for the original song “Vulnerable (Live)”, from the live recording, Legacy: The Instrumental Jawn. Most recently, in partnership with APOGEE Electronics, The Baylor Project received their eighth Grammy® nomination for an impromptu live, in-studio performance of the age-old spiritual, “Walk With Me, Lord.”
Marcus and Jean also expanded into television, writing, producing and performing the new theme song, “Good Life” for Season 6 of the Tamron Hall Show! The Baylor Project pays homage to their wide-ranging musical influences, and in doing so generates an eclectic sound whose overall effect is spiritual, buoyant, feel-good music. The Baylor Project is Soulful. Melodic. Authentic.
