Red Raspus - Musician in Seattle

Group Photo from Recent Phil Kelly Recording Session

David Marriott — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:17:42 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the weekend out at Bear Creek Studios recording Phil Kelly's new big band record. Award-winning photographer Daniel Sheehan was on hand to take a group photo, and he's been kind enough to share the image on his blog, Eyeshot Jazz. Enjoy!

New Sites Launching July 1st!

David Marriott — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 01:35:00 +0000

I'll be rarely posting in the coming months while I'm working on a variety of new sites, all of which will officially launch on July 1st, 2009. Here's what you can expect to see:

Jazz Photo Daily: a site dedicated to aggregating the best in jazz photography across the web
Electrophonic Research Labs: a site dedicated to my on-going experiments with electronic and circuit-bent music
8-Bit Jazz: a blog dedicated to finding and creating jazz music in the world of 8-bit music
David Marriott Jr: a redesign of my personal website and hub for all my web activities

Stay tuned for the official site launches on the first of July, or visit the sites through the design and development process.

The Partial Observer Presents "How To Alienate Your Audience in 10 Easy Steps"

David Marriott — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:02:41 +0000

In a recent series of articles for The Partial Observer, Neo Classical columnist Holly Mulcahy writes about the ten most common ways that performers alienate their audiences. While the article is generally written from the context of a classical musician's point of view, nearly every word in this article applies to the vast majority of musicians as a whole. The article is written with humor to demonstrate it's points without coming across heavy-handed. Musicians: pay attention to this article -- it could help you get hired back!

Listen to "Septology: In the Beginning" on Kerchoonz

David Marriott — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:43:41 +0000

A new UK social music and networking site, Kerchoonz, is now paying artists when their streams are played online. I'm testing it out with my Septology: In the Beginning recording to see what it's all about. If you'd like to help support me without having to spend a dime, listen to Septology: In the Beginning on Kerchoonz instead of playing your CD or MP3's. If you are a musician and want to upload your music and reap whatever benefits may come down the line, sign up for an artist account.

See All 200 Jazz Photos in LIFE Photo Archive

David Marriott — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:40:26 +0000

In a joint collaboration with Google, LIFE has placed millions of photos online for the general public to enjoy from their archive. Of those millions of photos, 200 appear when searching for "jazz", and there are some great shots here worth paying attention to that potentially were never published. View all 200 jazz photos in the LIFE archive, or feel free to visit the LIFE archive home page to look for other subjects -- on a side note, Louis Armstrong appears in the "People" list on the home page! I love the Miles one on the right, but I put my two favorites below, both taken by photographer Eliot Elisofon in 1954. Enjoy!

Quote from LA Phil's Irving Bush on Personality of Trumpet Players

David Marriott — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:13:53 +0000

Leave it to Jerry Oram to drop all the golden nuggets! Here's another one, this time from noted trumpet player, composer and author Irving Bush:

There are two sides to a trumpeter's personality: there is the one that lives only to lay waste to the woodwinds and strings leaving them lying blue and lifeless along the swath of destruction that is a trumpeter's fury; then there's the dark side...

Quote from Kenton Alumnus Don Smith Regarding Lead Playing

David Marriott — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:07:51 +0000

Jerry Oram passed on a great quote from Kenton alumnus Don Smith about being a lead trumpet player:

There are three registers on the trumpet: the low register, the high register, and the cash register, and that's where I play.

New Project: Septology - America Is

David Marriott — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:45:18 +0000

I've been quietly working on a new suite for my group, Septology, tentatively titled, America Is. This election season has helped to redefine America in so many ways, but at the core, the words we use to describe the best of what America is have not changed. Words like "freedom," "opportunity," "liberty," and "hope" come to mind, among many others. What is America to you, in one word? Please comment!

Wayne Horvitz and NY Composers Orchestra West at The Triple Door

David Marriott — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 08:50:46 +0000

I didn't think I'd be able to attend much of the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival as I've been completely tied up with The Drowsy Chaperone at The 5th Avenue, but with my Monday night free, and my brother in the band, I decided to check out Wayne Horvitz and NY Composers Orchestra West at The Triple Door. While I did bring my camera, I sadly didn't bring anything for note taking, so I missed getting the titles, but to be honest, it's not important. What was important about this concert was the music of composer and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz. I used to go see his band Zony Mash at the OK Hotel and revelled in the groove, but always remembered seeing a similar incarnation of tonight's band around ten years ago. My tastes have certainly broadened since then, and with a focus on Wayne's writing this time, I was even more taken with it. It truly was an all-star band:

Trumpets: Brad Allison, Ron Miles, Thomas Marriott

French Horn: Tom Varner

Trombones: Chris Stover, Nelson Bell

Saxophones: Mark Taylor, Skerik, Briggan Krauss, Hans Teuber, Jim De Joie, Doug Wieselman

Guitar: Tim Young

Drums and Percussion: Bobby Previte

Bass: Phil Sparks

Piano and Conductor: Wayne Horvitz, Robin Holcomb

The music was largely composed with sparse moments for improvisation, although there were a few extended solos -- generally by the saxophonists or Wayne. I found that the program truly reflected the seeming dual musical personalities of Wayne Horvitz: on one side, a deep love of groove, blues, and a fun-loving jam; on the other, a deep compositional complexity that understands the bigger ideas of drama, counterpoint, density, and development. Added to all this comes the icing of improvisation, usually in the context in simple harmonies or free open sections. For the most part, I would use words like "progressive" or "experimental" to describe the music, but I also took away the feeling of "energy" and "freedom" from the music as well. The epic "River of Whiskey" was a highlight, as was the sheer energy of Briggan Krauss during his one solo of the night. But it's hard to pick a highlight at all, because the improvisation really served the compositions -- a concept strangely lacking in much of jazz music today. Hopefully, it also reminded the listening public that the big band is not dead, it's just rare to hear something new. Well, we did tonight. Enjoy the slideshow!

Must Have "Jazz for Barack Obama" Button Based on "Blue Train"

David Marriott — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:40:41 +0000

If you are voting for the Barack Obama / Joe Biden ticket in the coming weeks, then be sure to snag one of these awesome "Jazz for Barack Obama" buttons from Democratic Stuff based on John Coltrane's "Blue Train" cover -- or find me on one of my upcoming gigs and ask for one -- I've got 20 on the way! If you're looking to support the other ticket, you're out of luck: after some digging around, the only real mention of "Jazz for McCain" was someone laughing at the concept. Better luck next time!