Hugh Marsh
Encyclopedia
Hugh Marsh is a violinist from Toronto
, known for his electric violin
sound. Marsh was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award
in the best contemporary jazz album category.
, funk
and rhythm and blues
. With his father's encouragement, he transferred these improvisation skills to the electric violin. He is the brother of musician Fergus Marsh.
to perform with him in a concert series at the Art Gallery of Ontario
in Toronto. This led to gigs at top Toronto jazz club George's Spahgetti House and to performances with Canadian jazz musicians Marsh had long admired such as Doug Riley
, Claude Ranger, Sonny Greenwich
and Don Thompson
.
After meeting Bruce Cockburn
in 1979, Cockburn invited Marsh to join his band for recordings and tours.
In 1984, Marsh recorded his independent album The Bear Walks which would eventually be distributed by Duke Street Records
. He was supported on the album by Doug Riley (keyboards), Peter Cardinali (bass, production), and Michael Brecker (tenor sax). The album sold well and was distributed by Verabra Records in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 1986.
Marsh recorded his follow-up album in 1987. Shaking The Pumpkin featured Bruce Cockburn
(on "How the Violin Was Born"), Dalbello (on "Rules Are Made to be Broken") and singer Robert Palmer on a version of Jimi Hendrix
's "Purple Haze
". Marsh's collaboration with Robert Palmer on "Purple Haze" became a radio hit in Canada and the United States.
Since 1990 Marsh has recorded and toured with Celtic songstress Loreena Mckennitt
, spanning six multi platinum albums and numerous world tours. From 1998, he began working with Turkish Sufi DJ Mercan Dede
, resulting in contributions to three albums and other touring projects. Marsh has also worked with other Turkish artists such as Ihsan Ozgen, Kani Karaca
, Goksel Baktagir and Ozcan Deniz.
In 2000 Marsh performed with former Bauhaus
singer Peter Murphy on his international Just For Love tour, which resulted in the album Alive Just for Love. It is a live recording of the fully uninterrupted set from the El Rey show in Los Angeles on November 30, the same year. This was followed by the studio album "Dust" and a subsequent North American tour.
Marsh has worked with composer Harry Gregson Williams on film scoring projects in Los Angeles, with compositions featured on such films as Armageddon, Whatever Happened to Harold Smith, Spy Game, Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas, The Rundown, Veronica Guerin, Man on Fire, Shrek 2, Return to Sender, Domino, Kingdom of Heaven, The Chronicles of Narnia and Seraphim Falls. He has also worked with Hans Zimmer
on scores for Tears of the Sun and The Da Vinci Code.
In 2004 Marsh joined clarinet visionary Don Byron
's new quartet "Swiftboat" which also features Kermit Driscoll
on bass and Pheeroan Aklaff
on drums. Marsh is currently touring as part of trumpeter Jon Hassell
's new quartet which also features bassist Peter Freeman and percussionist Steve Shehan.
Marsh is a four-time winner of the Jazz Report Award for violinist of the year and a three-time recipient of the National Jazz Award for violinist of the year.
Marsh's recording Hugmars was released in November 2006 and was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award
in the best contemporary jazz album category.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, known for his electric violin
Electric violin
An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
sound. Marsh was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award
Juno Awards of 2007
The Juno Awards of 2007 were hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on the weekend ending 1 April 2007. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada during most of 2006...
in the best contemporary jazz album category.
Early days
Marsh was born and brought up in Montreal. He learned to play the violin from the age of five but it was when he tried playing the saxophone while at high school that led to him exploring jazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. With his father's encouragement, he transferred these improvisation skills to the electric violin. He is the brother of musician Fergus Marsh.
Career
In 1978, Marsh was invited by jazz musician Moe KoffmanMoe Koffman
Moe Koffman, OC was a Canadian jazz musician and composer. He played the flute, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone and clarinet...
to perform with him in a concert series at the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
in Toronto. This led to gigs at top Toronto jazz club George's Spahgetti House and to performances with Canadian jazz musicians Marsh had long admired such as Doug Riley
Doug Riley
Doug Riley, CM was a Canadian musician. Born in Toronto, Ontario and informally referred to as "Doctor Music", he spent two decades with the Famous People Players as its musical director, besides his participation on over 300 album projects in various genres...
, Claude Ranger, Sonny Greenwich
Sonny Greenwich
Sonny Greenwich was born in Hamilton, Ontario on New Years Day of 1936. He is a Canadian Avant-garde jazz guitarist. He has played in major Canadian and American cities including a concert at Carnegie Hall. He has performed with such 'greats' as Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy...
and Don Thompson
Don Thompson (musician)
Donald Winston Thompson, OC is a Canadian jazz musician who plays bass, piano, and vibes. Thompson formed part of the Toronto Quartet of Paul Desmond during the mid seventies, and that effort produced two stellar albums. Other personnel on those dates, mostly at Bourbon Street in Toronto, were...
.
After meeting Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
in 1979, Cockburn invited Marsh to join his band for recordings and tours.
In 1984, Marsh recorded his independent album The Bear Walks which would eventually be distributed by Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records
Duke Street Records was a Canadian independent record label. The label was established in 1984 by Andrew Hermant and ceased operations in 1994. The Universal Music Group took over the label when it disappeared....
. He was supported on the album by Doug Riley (keyboards), Peter Cardinali (bass, production), and Michael Brecker (tenor sax). The album sold well and was distributed by Verabra Records in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 1986.
Marsh recorded his follow-up album in 1987. Shaking The Pumpkin featured Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
(on "How the Violin Was Born"), Dalbello (on "Rules Are Made to be Broken") and singer Robert Palmer on a version of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
's "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
". Marsh's collaboration with Robert Palmer on "Purple Haze" became a radio hit in Canada and the United States.
Since 1990 Marsh has recorded and toured with Celtic songstress Loreena Mckennitt
Loreena McKennitt
Loreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
, spanning six multi platinum albums and numerous world tours. From 1998, he began working with Turkish Sufi DJ Mercan Dede
Mercan Dede
Mercan Dede , also known as DJ Arkin Allen, is a Turkish composer, ney and bendir player, DJ and producer. He divides his time between Turkey, Europe and North America...
, resulting in contributions to three albums and other touring projects. Marsh has also worked with other Turkish artists such as Ihsan Ozgen, Kani Karaca
Kani Karaca
Kâni Karaca , born in Adana, Turkey was a Turkish singer. He lost his eyesight at the age of 2 and memorized the Quran in elementary school. He came to Istanbul in 1950 and worked with Sadettin Kaynak, a major composer and performer of Turkish music at the time...
, Goksel Baktagir and Ozcan Deniz.
In 2000 Marsh performed with former Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
singer Peter Murphy on his international Just For Love tour, which resulted in the album Alive Just for Love. It is a live recording of the fully uninterrupted set from the El Rey show in Los Angeles on November 30, the same year. This was followed by the studio album "Dust" and a subsequent North American tour.
Marsh has worked with composer Harry Gregson Williams on film scoring projects in Los Angeles, with compositions featured on such films as Armageddon, Whatever Happened to Harold Smith, Spy Game, Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas, The Rundown, Veronica Guerin, Man on Fire, Shrek 2, Return to Sender, Domino, Kingdom of Heaven, The Chronicles of Narnia and Seraphim Falls. He has also worked with Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
on scores for Tears of the Sun and The Da Vinci Code.
In 2004 Marsh joined clarinet visionary Don Byron
Don Byron
Don Byron is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet, but has also used bass clarinet and saxophones....
's new quartet "Swiftboat" which also features Kermit Driscoll
Kermit Driscoll
Kermit Driscoll is a New York City jazz bassist perhaps best known for his long association with guitarist Bill Frisell. He was born in Kearney, Nebraska....
on bass and Pheeroan Aklaff
Pheeroan akLaff
Pheeroan akLaff is an American jazz drummer. Pheeroan akLaff began playing in his hometown of Detroit, and Ann Arbor, Michigan with Travis Biggs, Ars Nova, The Ebony Set, The Last Days, and Rod Lumpkin, recorded with Major Lansky. Moved to New Haven, Connecticut and formed DejaVu with Dwight...
on drums. Marsh is currently touring as part of trumpeter Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...
's new quartet which also features bassist Peter Freeman and percussionist Steve Shehan.
Marsh is a four-time winner of the Jazz Report Award for violinist of the year and a three-time recipient of the National Jazz Award for violinist of the year.
Marsh's recording Hugmars was released in November 2006 and was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award
Juno Awards of 2007
The Juno Awards of 2007 were hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on the weekend ending 1 April 2007. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada during most of 2006...
in the best contemporary jazz album category.
Singles
- 1984 "Versace"/"Znefu For Y'all" (Duke Street/WEA)
- 1987 "Purple Haze" (Duke Street/WEA), with Robert Palmer
- 1989 "Purple Haze" re-issue (Soundwings – US), with Robert Palmer
Albums
- 1984 The Bear Walks (Duke Street/WEA)
- 1987 Shaking The Pumpkin (Duke Street/WEA)
- 1989 Shaking The Pumpkin re-issue (Soundwings – US)
- 1996 Songs for my Mother and Father (Cool Papa)
- 2006 Hugmars (nominated for 2007 Juno AwardJuno Awards of 2007The Juno Awards of 2007 were hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on the weekend ending 1 April 2007. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada during most of 2006...
, Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year)
Compilations/Other
- 1996 cut on Sweet Relief II compilation
- 1997 cut on Carols of Christmas, Vol. 2 compilation
Contributions
- with Peter Murphy – "Alive Just for Love", "Dust"
- with Bruce CockburnBruce CockburnBruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
– "Humans", "Inner City Front", "Christmas", "Waiting for a Miracle", "You've Never Seen Everything", "Big Circumstance", "Mummy Dust", "World of Wonders". - with Don Ross – "Bearing Straight".
- with Loreena McKennittLoreena McKennittLoreena Isabel Irene McKennitt, CM, OM, is a Canadian singer, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist who writes, records and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern themes. McKennitt is known for her refined, clear soprano vocals...
– "The Visit", "The Book of Secrets", "A Winter Garden", "The Mask and Mirror", "Live in Paris and Toronto", "An Ancient Muse", "Nights from the Alhambra" - with The Barenaked LadiesBarenaked LadiesBarenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
– "Born on a Pirate Ship" - with Brian HughesBrian Hughes (musician)Brian Hughes is a Canadian guitarist whose work draws from both the smooth jazz and world music genres. Not restricted entirely to conventional guitars, Hughes has also been known to employ the oud, bouzouki and balalaika...
– "Straight to You" - with Alannah MylesAlannah MylesAlannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Byles. In 1989, she released her eponymous debut album...
– "Arrival", "Alannah" - with Steve BellSteve Bell (musician)Steve Bell is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is among the best-known Christian musicians in Canada and is an accomplished songwriter and record producer. Steve has an extensive catalogue of songs including "Deep Calls to Deep", "Eventide" and...
- with Mary Margaret O'HaraMary Margaret O'HaraMary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, who has been hailed as one of the greatest cult heroines in rock music despite having released very few of her own recordings. She is best known for the critically acclaimed album Miss America, released in 1988.-Early stages:O'Hara...
– "Miss America, "Christmas EP" - with RaffiRaffi (musician)Raffi Cavoukian, CM, OBC , better known by his stage name Raffi, is a Canadian-Armenian singer-songwriter, author, essayist and lecturer...
– "Evergreen, Everblue" - with Brooks WilliamsBrooks WilliamsBrooks Williams is an American acoustic guitarist and singer/songwriter. His style combines roots, jazz, blues, classical, and folk...
– "Knife Edge", "seven Sisters" - with Roberto Occhipinti – "Trinacria", "The Cusp"
- with The HenrysThe HenrysThe Henrys is a Toronto-based, "nearly instrumental" quartet. Their music features the sound of an antique slide guitar called a Kona , along with various other instruments: conch shell, quarter-tone trumpet, chordette, drums, sonar zombie, steel drums, and many more...
– "Joyous Porous", "Puerto Angel" - with Mercan DedeMercan DedeMercan Dede , also known as DJ Arkin Allen, is a Turkish composer, ney and bendir player, DJ and producer. He divides his time between Turkey, Europe and North America...
– "Seyhatname", "Nar", "Su", "Nefes". - with Nick BuzzNick Buzz-External links:*...
– "Circo" - with Montuno Police – "Touch", "The Call", "Nomads"
- with The MRC Trio – "Tribal Dance", "That Magic Thread"
- with Random Access – "Random Access 3, "No Soap Radio", "Accidental Beef".
- with Hans ZimmerHans ZimmerHans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
– "Tears of the Sun", "The Da Vinci Code" - with Harry Gregson Williams – "Armageddon", "Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?", "Spy Game", "Veronica Guerin", "The Rundown", "Shrek 2", "Return to Sender", "Kingdom of Heaven", "Man on Fire", "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Seraphim Falls", "Deja Vu", "The Number 23" and "The Taking of Pelham 123".