Home » Jazz Musicians » Marcus Tenney

Marcus Tenney

Marcus Tenney began his love for music back in the 6th grade. While playing trumpet back then, he quickly became known for his solid tone and natural understanding for the harmonic structures in which he encountered. After winning the Louis Armstrong Award on his way out of high school, he went on to VCU to study with Dr. Rex Richardson, world-renowned trumpeter and former Joe Henderson sideman. As graduation came closer and closer, Marcus began to experiment with different musical genres and instruments, eventual finding that the saxophone connected him to music in a more satisfying way. He currently is playing saxophone with the likes of Reginald Chapman's new project, UTV, as well as making appearances with the No B.S. Brass Band and is currently starting his own projects.

Awards

3rd place in the National Trumpet Competition '06-'07 Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for Rising Students - 2003

Nicholas Payton / Butcher Brown: A Supreme Blue

Read "A Supreme Blue" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
July 26, 2026

Is it an act of bravery or simple foolhardiness to revisit two of the most revered albums in jazz history--records that transcend popularity and occupy a near-mythic place in the music's collective psyche? In this centennial moment for both Miles Davis and John Coltrane, the question carries not only artistic weight but commercial implications as well. Nicholas Payton joins forces with the Richmond-based collective Butcher Brown on A Supreme Blue, a thoughtful and stylistically hybrid reimagining of Kind ...