He has been described by The Guardian as “One of the sharpest young jazz musicians around today” and is in demand with artists across a notably wide range of musical styles. 

 

He appears regularly with vintage 1920s/30s Grammy award-winning jazz orchestra Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks as part of their weekly Monday night residency at Birdland Jazz Club in New York, has played with contemporary jazz icons such as Donny McCaslin, Shai Maestro and Steve Wilson, and has performed Afro-Cuban jazz with Elio Villafranca, Jeremy Pelt and Vincent Herring.

 

In 2024 Douglas premiered the commission of Vince Mendoza’s new composition Flight of Moving Days for Violin, Drums and Chamber Orchestra, featuring as soloist alongside star violinist Joshua Bell with the Academy of St Martin In The Fields, written in dedication to Douglas’ grandfather and founder of the orchestra, conductor Sir Neville Marriner on his centenary year. 

 

Douglas regularly performs with many of America’s leading orchestras, such as the Detroit, St Louis, Cincinnati and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. His recording of Derek Bermel’s Migrations Series (Naxos American Classics) with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and Ted Nash was nominated for a Grammy award in 2020.

 

He has also appeared with Broadway legend Marilyn Maye and performed on the Barbican Theater’s production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes in London. Most recently, Douglas can be seen on screen in the FX/Hulu TV drama Feud: Capote vs The Swans, featuring actors Tom Hollander and Demi Moore.

 

Born in London, Douglas was immersed in a musical environment, growing up with the musical guidance of both his grandfather Sir Neville Marriner (founder and conductor of the Academy of St Martin-In-The-Fields / Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra / Amadeus), and also his father

Andrew Marriner, former Principal Clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra. Effectively growing up as a child of both the LSO and ASMF, Douglas was fortunate to gain a unique insight into the life of the professional musician, joining both orchestras on tour, observing recording sessions and film scores at Abbey Road Studios and performances at the world’s major concert halls. 

 

Rooted in this musical lineage, Douglas took the opportunity to develop his own musical voice and saw the role of the improvising Jazz Drummer as a natural evolution from his grandfather’s artform of conducting, combined with that of an improvisor - composing in real-time. 

 

Douglas became the first British musician to be awarded a place on Juilliard’s prestigious Jazz program on a scholarship and after his Master’s graduation was awarded the drum chair for the Artist Diploma Ensemble (2015-17), where his sextet was coached by Wynton Marsalis and Kenny Barron touring Europe, South America and Japan. 

 

Douglas is a passionate educator, and was Director of Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program Percussion Ensemble, in addition to teaching percussion lessons, coaching their orchestral musicians and mentoring their young educators. He has also taught for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education programs and summer schools, Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, the Jazz Arts Collective and has recently joined the faculty at Fordham University, Bloomingdale School of Music and the Louis Armstrong Foundation.