Marvin Sewell: Sticking to Your Guns

In this episode of The Working Artist Project, Darrian and Gregory discuss the process of entering a music what it takes to enter a music scene, make a statement, and find the connections to help you achieve your musical goals all while maintaining what makes your sound unique with Marvin Sewell.

Bio:

Marvin Sewell was born and raised in Chicago. He learned how to play the guitar by hanging out with many Chicago basement bands. At that time, Marvin was exposed to a variety of styles of music such as: Blues, Gospel, and Soul. Rock, and Fusion. In high school, he started playing with the Malcolm X Community College Big Band. From there he started playing with many famous local Chicago musicians such as Von Freeman, Ramsey Lewis, Billy Branch, Jody Christian, Big Time Sarah, and Barbara La Shore. Marvin later moved to New York in 1990. Since he began living in New York, Marvin has played with various bands of different styles of music, ranging from acoustic to electric music. In 1992, Marvin made his first major Jazz band when he began working with Jack Dejohnette’s Special Edition. In 1995, he began playing with Cassandra Wilson with whom he played a variety of string instruments for six years. In 2002, Marvin did a tour of eastern Africa with the Newsome, Sewell, and Harris Trio. Today, Marvin spends most of his time writing music for his own band, The Marvin Sewell Group.