Madison Rast was born and raised in North Carolina and attended the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. He received a bachelor’s degree in music performance and attended graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. There he received a masters degree in jazz performance. Madison moved to Philadelphia in September 1999 and now teaches at Bucks County Community College.

He performs on a regular basis at clubs in and around Philadelphia and often in New York. Madison has played with countless musicians known well in both the New York and Philly areas, including John Swana, Bootsie Barnes, Bobby Watson, Orrin Evans, Mickey Roker, Terell Stafford, Barry Harris and Jimmy Heath.