Joshua ‘JqualiT’ Thompson

When it comes to a quality musical experience for thousands or a few, audiences across the country are captured by the soulful sounds saxophonist ‘JqualiT’ brings to the stage. Joshua’s distinct tone, versatility and improvisational expression have allowed him to position himself as one of the rising and charismatic musicians in Los Angeles, CA today. As a formally trained musician from Lancaster, CA rooted in Gospel and Jazz music, he honed his knowledge and musicianship through his local high school marching bands and orchestras, garnering many successes along the way. At the age of 16 he was inspired to write and co-produce his first Gospel Jazz album ‘In The Spirit’ with the help of his mentor Ronnie Crumbly which led him to open for the late Gospel music legend Andrae Crouch and forged his his path towards finding his own voice within the music industry.

Throughout his career, Joshua has also been fortunate to perform at events and festivals across the country including notable performances with prominent Grammy-Award winning artists such as Ari Lennox for All Def LA, Major, Mali Music, Cocoa Sarai, Amber Riley, Grammy-Award winning producer DJ Camper, R&B Superstar Guordan Banks, and many more. In addition, he also been a featured performer at world class events such as The NAMM Show, Ted X Inglewood, The Long Beach MLK Day Celebration, The 2013 NFL Pro Bowl, and as a member of the renowned Southside Symphony including the LA Kings 2024 Playoff Season and Tina Knowles WACO Art Gala with Grammy Award-Winning singer, songwriters Andra Day, and Chloe and Halle Bailey.

As an in-demand solo artist his commitment to his craft and unique passion for the art as well as his community are undeniable, over the years he has developed his business acumen as a solo performer for private clientele and his stage presence through local LA platforms such as Unpluggd LA, Tiny Room LA, and Soulfulofnoise which he performed for over 150 showcases as a member and producer for 6 years. Joshua has also garnered significant sync and television placements with Pandora, Red Bull, VISA and as a contributing musician and writer within television and film including Apple TV’s ‘Lady in the Lake’ starring Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram (2024), Hulu’s ‘Everything’s Trash’, Nicki Micheaux’s Award-winning film ‘Summer of Violence’ (2023), and HBO Max’s ‘Dear Rider: The Jake Burton Story’ (2021). His versatility in the R&B and Hip-Hop styles can be heard across on a variety of projects as a horn arranger and songwriter including the remastered Hip-Hop compilation ‘Top Shelf 1988’ by Rostrum Records alongside Grammy Nominated producer Shama ‘Sak Pase’ Joseph feat. the late Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, and other Hip-Hop legends.

As a music director he continues to perform with own Hip-Hop Jazz fusion collective, The Pocket Prophets for private corporate experiences and industry events. He also continues to push the envelope of creative production and as the Exec. Producer and Creator of his newest digital and event series ‘Taste and Treble’ where he infuses the arts of music and food to tell authentic stories of music and culinary artists on the rise while supporting the efforts of local businesses within his community. Joshua is a proud endorsed artist of Cannonball Musical Instruments, Rovner Ligatures, and Juice’s Music Shop Audio.