Warne Marsh
Encyclopedia
Warne Marion Marsh was an American
tenor saxophonist
born in Los Angeles
.
Oliver T. Marsh (1892–1941), and his mother Elizabeth was a violin
ist. Mae Marsh
, the actress, was his aunt.
He was tutored by Lennie Tristano
and, along with Lee Konitz
, Marsh was often recorded in the company of other Cool School musicians, and remained one of the most faithful to the Tristano philosophy of improvisation – the faith in the purity of the long line, the avoidance of lick
s and emotional chain-pulling, the concentration on endlessly mining the same small body of jazz standard
s. Nevertheless, his distinctively pure tone without the inflections popular among many other tenor saxophonists at that time such as honks, growls, exaggerated vibrato, slurs and glisses, etc. set Marsh apart from other Lester Young
and Ben Webster
-influenced saxophonists.
Marsh's rhythmically subtle lines are immediately recognizable. He has been called by Anthony Braxton
"the greatest vertical improviser." In the 1970s he gained renewed exposure as a member of Supersax
, a large ensemble which played orchestral arrangements of Charlie Parker
solos. Marsh also recorded one of his most celebrated albums, All Music, with the Supersax rhythm section during this period.
Marsh died onstage at the Los Angeles club Donte's in 1987, in the middle of playing the tune "Out of Nowhere". Though he remains something of a cult figure among jazz fans and musicians, his influence has grown since his death; younger players such as Mark Turner
have borrowed from his music as a way of counterbalancing the pervasive influence of John Coltrane
. Marsh's discography
remains somewhat scattered and elusive, as much of it was done for small labels, but more and more of his work has been issued on compact disc
in recent years.
A documentary is being done about him entitled, Warne Marsh: An Improvised Life directed by his oldest son, K.C. Marsh.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tenor saxophonist
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
born in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Biography
Marsh came from an affluent background: his father was the cinematographerCinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Oliver T. Marsh (1892–1941), and his mother Elizabeth was a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist. Mae Marsh
Mae Marsh
Mae Marsh was an American film actress with a career spanning over 50 years.-Early life:...
, the actress, was his aunt.
He was tutored by Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
Leonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
and, along with Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
, Marsh was often recorded in the company of other Cool School musicians, and remained one of the most faithful to the Tristano philosophy of improvisation – the faith in the purity of the long line, the avoidance of lick
Lick (music)
In popular music genres such as rock or jazz music, a lick is "a stock pattern or phrase" consisting of a short series of notes that is used in solos and melodic lines...
s and emotional chain-pulling, the concentration on endlessly mining the same small body of jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
s. Nevertheless, his distinctively pure tone without the inflections popular among many other tenor saxophonists at that time such as honks, growls, exaggerated vibrato, slurs and glisses, etc. set Marsh apart from other Lester Young
Lester Young
Lester Willis Young , nicknamed "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. He also played trumpet, violin, and drums....
and Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
-influenced saxophonists.
Marsh's rhythmically subtle lines are immediately recognizable. He has been called by Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
"the greatest vertical improviser." In the 1970s he gained renewed exposure as a member of Supersax
Supersax
Supersax was a Charlie Parker tribute band formed by Med Flory and Buddy Clark that debuted in 1972. Their music consisted of harmonized arrangements of Charlie Parker's music played by a saxophone section , rhythm section, and a brass instrument...
, a large ensemble which played orchestral arrangements of Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
solos. Marsh also recorded one of his most celebrated albums, All Music, with the Supersax rhythm section during this period.
Marsh died onstage at the Los Angeles club Donte's in 1987, in the middle of playing the tune "Out of Nowhere". Though he remains something of a cult figure among jazz fans and musicians, his influence has grown since his death; younger players such as Mark Turner
Mark Turner (musician)
Mark Turner is a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist with several recordings to his credit.-Biographical information:Born in Fairborn, Ohio, and raised in Southern California, Turner originally intended to become a commercial artist. In elementary school he played the clarinet, followed by the alto...
have borrowed from his music as a way of counterbalancing the pervasive influence of John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
. Marsh's discography
Discography
Discography is the study and listing of the details concerning sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified musical genres...
remains somewhat scattered and elusive, as much of it was done for small labels, but more and more of his work has been issued on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in recent years.
A documentary is being done about him entitled, Warne Marsh: An Improvised Life directed by his oldest son, K.C. Marsh.
Discography
- More Complete Discography by Jack Goodwin
- Live In Hollywood (1952; Xanadu RecordsXanadu RecordsXanadu Records was a jazz music record label specializing in bebop throughout the 1970s and 1980s founded by Don Schlitten, recording and issuing recordings by some legendary names in jazz music.-Discography:...
) - Music for Prancing (1957) with Ronnie BallRonnie BallRonald "Ronnie" Ball was a jazz pianist born in Birmingham, England.Ball moved to London in 1948, and in the early 1950s he worked both as a bandleader and under Ronnie Scott, Tony Kinsey, Victor Feldman, and Harry Klein...
, Red MitchellRed MitchellKeith Moore "Red" Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927, New York City - November 8, 1992, Salem, Oregon, was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. He was the brother of Whitey Mitchell....
, & Stan LeveyStan LeveyStan Levey was an American jazz drummer. Born in Philadelphia, Levey is considered one of the earliest bebop drummers, one of the very few white drummers involved in the formative years of bebop and accepted as one of bop's most important drummers, along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach...
on Mode Records (re-released VSOP, 1995) - Live at the Half Note (1959) with Lee KonitzLee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
& Bill EvansBill EvansWilliam John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
on Verve Records (re-released Jazz Lips) - CrosscurrentsCrosscurrents (Bill Evans album)Crosscurrents is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, released in 1977.Along with Evans' current trio of Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund, Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh guest on alto and tenor saxophone respectively.-Reception:...
(1977) with Bill Evans, Lee Konitz, Eddie GomezEddie GomezEdgar "Eddie" Gómez is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, perhaps most notable for his work done with the Bill Evans trio from 1966 to 1977.-Biography:...
& Eliot ZigmundEliot ZigmundEliot Zigmund is an American jazz drummer, who has worked extensively as a session musician.Zigmund studied at Mannes College of Music and CCNY, where he graduated in 1969. After moving to California, he found work in the 1970s playing with Ron McClure, Steve Swallow, Art Lande, Mike Nock, Mel...
on Fantasy - Apogee (1978) with Pete ChristliebPete ChristliebPete Christlieb is a jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California and is the son of bassoonist Don Christlieb...
, on Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, reissued by Rhino Records, 2003 - Sax Of A Kind (1983) Hot Club RecordsHot Club RecordsHot Club Records is a Record company established 1982, by guitar player Jon Larsen. More than 350 released CDs, DVDs and books, mostly jazz related.Some artists on Hot Club Records: Chet Baker, Philip Catherine, Warne Marsh, and the poet Jan Erik Vold....
/Jon LarsenJon LarsenJon Larsen is an autodidact guitarist, composer, surrealistic painter, and record producer with heavy influence on the revival of Gypsy jazz worldwide... - For The Time Being (1987) Hot Club RecordsHot Club RecordsHot Club Records is a Record company established 1982, by guitar player Jon Larsen. More than 350 released CDs, DVDs and books, mostly jazz related.Some artists on Hot Club Records: Chet Baker, Philip Catherine, Warne Marsh, and the poet Jan Erik Vold....
/Jon LarsenJon LarsenJon Larsen is an autodidact guitarist, composer, surrealistic painter, and record producer with heavy influence on the revival of Gypsy jazz worldwide... - Subconscious-Lee (1950) Lee KonitzLee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
Further reading
- Chamberlain, Safford (2000). An Unsung Cat: The Life and Music of Warne Marsh. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3718-8
- Cook, Richard & Morton, Brian (2003). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (8th edn). Penguin. ISBN 0-141-02327-9
- Cornelius, Marcus M (2002). Out of Nowhere - The musical life of Warne Marsh. Aurora Nova Publishing. ISBN 0-9580264-0-8
External links
- Fan page for documentary, "Warne Marsh: An Improvised Life"
- http://www.warnemarsh.info - The Warne Marsh Web Site with a comprehensive discography, etc.
- http://auroranovapublishing.net - Web Site for Aurora Nova Publishing and the works of Marcus M. Cornelius
- http://www.scribd.com/doc/17489516/A-Jazz-Life-Scribd-Version - Memoirs and studies drawn from experiences as a student of Warne Marsh, 1982-1987. (John Klopotowski)