Lou Marini

Often referred to as an “unsung jazz hero,” platinum recording artist, Lou Marini, Jr. is the seasoned soul and adept multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, educator, and producer credited with inspiring the origins of a fan-following cult across multiple genres of music.

Making a name for himself as a sideman in various high profile groups, any top New York jazz musician will tell you he’s “one of the absolute best jazz musicians.” The New York based Marini is famed for his chameleon-like adaptability to imagine and perform inventive ideas in jazz, rock, blues and classical music. Describing Lou’s performances, the New York Times said, “(he’s) the focal point of the group…(who) gives the band most of its colors and shadings, and provides it with a strongly melodic lead voice.”

Five time Grammy Award winning arranger / composer Bob Belden had this to say about one of the time-honored contributions from Lou Marini, Jr., “This composition and arrangement reflects Lou’s ability to create exciting, new music that embraces rock and the most advanced ideas of jazz music.” The statement helps illustrate Marini’s ability to inspire and traverse multiple music disciplines.

Popular since the early 1970s, Lou Marini, Jr. continues to be one of the most sought-after sidemen and session musicians on the New York scene. Due in part to his incredible skill and talent of the highest calibre, Marini masters many styles and instruments. He is accomplished on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxes, piccolo, flute, alto flute, bass flute and clarinet.

The ever-present influence of Lou Marini, Jr. is all around you. Jingles, television, radio and concerts all reflect the irresistible, innovative sounds of this veteran performer who electrifies audiences internationally. He truly is one of the industry’s most prolific luminaries who demonstrates a tireless commitment to his craft.

Lou Marini, Jr. is best known as a member of several distinguished bands: Woody Herman Orchestra, Doc Severinson, Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Band, Levon Helm & the RCO All-Stars, Dr. John, Frank Zappa, Saturday Night Live (SNL) Band, The Blues Brothers, Maureen McGovern, Lew Soloff Quintet, Blue Beck with Joe Beck, Eric Clapton, Red House, and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra. He has toured four times each with James Taylor’s Band of Legends and the John Tropea Band. A true blue lover of big bands, Lou has had the honor of performing with some of his childhood idols such as Thad Jones-Mel Lewis and the Buddy Rich Band, the latter with whom he also arranged.

Is it any wonder Marini’s arrangements and compositions display influences from the work of his heros? Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Thad Jones, Don Ellis, along with rock, pop and avant-garde techniques can be heard in his music. His unusual, off-the-wall notions, for example, are featured in his composition “Hip Pickles,” a tune whose title doubles as the abstract name of his publishing company.

The high profile cultural icon, Blue Lou Marini has recorded on numerous albums, many of which went platinum. Celebrities with whom his “Blueness,” as Lou is also known, has recorded with include Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Aerosmith, Maureen McGovern, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Luther Vandross, Lou Reed, Brecker Brothers, Dr. John, Donald Fagan, Eddie Palmieri, Jimmy Buffet, Frank Zappa, John Tropea, and Steely Dan. Contrasting, yet notable icons he has also performed with include Eric Clapton Smokey Robinson, Jose Carreras, Lou Rawls, The Supremes, Dr. John, Four Tops, Sting, and Tina Turner.

It is Marini’s seven year association as an original SNL band member that led to his role as “Blue Lou” in John Belushi and Dan Akroyd’s cult classic movie, “The Blues Brothers.” To this day, the remarkable popularity of the Blues Brothers Band is kept alive. Lou and the other band members tour worldwide, giving live concerts to packed houses and hundreds of thousands screaming fans.

No stranger to film, Lou Marini enjoys a formidable roster of success in this arena, too. His character as a band member and the saxophone soloist, who performs with his sax on the counter of a diner as Aretha Franklin sings “Think” in “The Blues Brothers” movie, remains throughout the sequel “Blue Brothers 2000.” Dubbed ‘Blue Lou’ by Dan Akroyd, he is also well-recognized for his saxophone solos at the open and close of SNL episodes, and as the golden pharaoh who plays a solo instrumental hit for comedian Steve Martin’s “King Tut” sketch on a 1978 episode

Different film-related projects Marini has lent his talents to are “Nightlife,” hosted by comedian David Brenner (saxophone soloist for Billy Preston’s band), numerous appearances on the “David Letterman Show,” the “Grammy Awards,” “Tony Awards,” “James Taylor’s Musicare’s Man of the Year Special,” “Kennedy Center Honors,” the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz,” “Sesame Street,” countless network television specials (i.e. Aretha Franklin’s duet special, all-star band for President-Elect Obama on HBO’s ‘We Are One,’ an AIDS special featuring Dionne Warwick and Elton John). Likewise, Lou’s genius is featured in “The Ref,” “The Wiz,” “Bright Lights Big City,” “Burning Bed,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Turner & Hooch,” “Mixed Nuts,” and most recently a “Family Thing,” starring Robert Duvall and James Earl Jones.

About a decade prior to SNL, Marini’s sound was beginning to form at the University of North Texas (UNT). A member of the famed One O’Clock Lab Band, Lou flushed out his musical influences in fresh, exciting ways to create a sound that set him apart from his peers.

Today, Blue Lou’s singular, expressive voice achieves virtuosity in his first collaborative recording with Misha Segal titled “The Blue Lou & Misha Project - Highly Classified.” His third album as a leader, Marini defines a cutting-edge, urban cool jazz vibe that revolutionizes the soundscape with edgy concepts and cliche-free tones. The celebrated saxophone wizard takes listeners on an ultra-original, sonic adventure showcasing horn solos. Masterful compositions and arrangements combine with smooth rap rhythms and hints of humor. Overall, this unconventional, yet accessible, collection trans-ports the listener at warp speed into the future, fusing contemporary jazz, fusion, rock, straight-ahead jazz, rap and hip hop. Other albums featuring Lou are “Chihuahua Boogie” (2010), “Lou’s Blues” (2001), and “Soul Serenade” (1992). Future releases include a Lynda Carter album, and a father-son project.

Born May 13, 1945 in Charleston, S.C. and raised in Ohio, making music is in the roots of the Marini family tree. At Fairless High School where Blue Lou attended, his father Lou Marini, Sr. directed his high school band and composed the alma mater. Each year the school bestows the Lou Marini Award in honor of his father. In 2010 the Marini’s were honored by the school, when they received the ‘Distinguished Fairless Falcon Award’ given to Blue Lou and his late father. Marini, Jr. carries on the tradition of education previously started by his father. He has arranged for Stan Kenton, and been on the faculties of both the Stan Kenton Camps and National Stage Band camps. Currently, he is an active clinician with high school and university jazz bands, and serves as Musical Director of the Brianza. Blues Festival in Monza, Italy.

Married to his beautiful Spanish bride, Carmen, Blue Lou is a long time resident of Manhattan’s Upper West Side where he continues his life-long pursuit of musical excellence. Known as “Double-Dad” by his granddaughter Alaina, Blue Lou’s son performed with him in Tuscany during the summer of 2010. Dubbed ‘Louie Tre’ (Italian style), Lou’s son carries on the music roots as a vocalist in the Dallas area. Show less

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Lou Marini Saxophone

Album Review

Lou's Blues by Jack Bowers
Starmaker by Hrayr Attarian

“The focal point of the group is Lou Marini...he gives the band most of its colors and shadings and provides it with a strongly melodic lead voice...Mr Marini moves through these various in whatever style he happens to find himself.”

~ John S. Wilson, NEW YORK TIMES

"LOU'S BLUES" LINER NOTES

The following is a reprint of the liner notes from the “Lou's Blues” CD, written by Grammy Award winning arranger / composer Bob Belden:

What can you say about an artist whose musicianship is so defined, so well tuned and focused that one may find two or three others on the planet who have the same breadth of experience and imagination. What can you say about someone who, when they are involved in the performance process, are 100% directed to the positive results of the efforts, whether it be a jazz recording or a television commercial, a concert with James Taylor or a jazz club gig with Joe Beck or a CD devoted to his own music It’s all the same. 100% musicianship. 100% taste. 100% honesty. Have I said enough. Now who is it that I’m talking about. Lou Marini, Jr., the son of Lou Marini, Sr. Lou Marini, Jr. is a one-of-a-kind person, a bon vivant, a renaissance man, a connoisseur of the finer things in life; good food, good friends and good music. Lou Marini, Jr. lives in Manhattan’s elegant Upper West Side, a neighborhood that is the last refuge for the sophisticated bohemian. Miles Davis lived ten blocks away

~ John S. Wilson, NEW YORK TIMES

"LOU'S BLUES" LINER NOTES

The following is a reprint of the liner notes from the “Lou's Blues” CD, written by Grammy Award winning arranger / composer Bob Belden:

Lou, Jr. was born in Charleston, SC, in 1945 (while his dad was in the Navy). But Lou eventually ended up in Ohio, where he studied with his father, an accomplished musician. (Note: a disclaimer. I too studied with Lou, Sr.). Lou, Jr (from this point on I will refer to him as ‘Lou’) made his way to North Texas State University in 1963 and studied clarinet as well as played, at first alto and then tenor sax (as well as all of the flute family and clarinets) in the Lab Band Program. By the end of his senior year, Lou had reached the highest levels of performance at the school and he began composing for the famous One O’Clock Lab Band. To understand what this means in today’s language, Lou had to now assimilate the library of the One O’Clock band as a soloist and as a composer, and the mountain top of that endeavor was indeed lofty. Lou was exposed to compositions and arrangements by Bill Holman, Bill Russo, Oliver Nelson, Thad Jones, Billy Byers, Nelson Riddle and on top of that were the amazing writers at the school, Marius ‘Butch’ Nordal, Dee Barton and Bill Stapleton just to name a few. His arrangement of Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance” set Lou far apart from his peers in the ability to expand the orchestration possibilities with that arrangement. It was of Straussian proportion, so difficult that it is rarely played by any band at NTSU. The arrangement was an amalgam of all of his influences that he had at the time, but fleshed out in an entirely fresh and exciting way. During the 1960’s, there was much debate about what was called free (or avant guard) music. By the late sixties, a lot of free music elements were incorporated into rock music. Now, it is commonplace, but Lou took the ideas expressed by Don Ellis and made them his own, while still in college. Because of this distillation of sources and an applied to composing, you will hear in this recording all of those influences weaved into one expressive voice. Lou also has the advantage having a distinct solo voice on all three saxophones (soprano, alto and tenor) as well as a tasteful style on flute and with that personal touch he is able to wrap his ‘orchestral voice’ around his ‘instrumental voice’, with beautiful results.

After leaving NTSU, Lou played with Doc Severinson and Blood Sweat And Tears before settling down in Manhattan. Lou became overnight one of the in demand players on the scene, both in the studios and in the clubs. His long association with the Saturday Night Live band led to his being cast as “Blue Lou” in “The Blue Brothers”. But underneath the veneer of this Hollywood attachment, was the Blue Brother’s Band, and primarily, Duck Dunn and Steve Cropper. Dunn and Cropper were charter members of Booker T. and the MG’s., the definition of saxophone soul music in the sixties. Lou had become a member of the Texas Tenor club from his years playing around the state and it was natural for his soul-lo style to fit into the context of the movie and band. It was the sound of that band that gives the funk on this CD a spicier flavor, not cliche, but honest. So now add this soulful tinge to his orchestral leanings and his instrumental prowess and this CD is what you will hear.

There is a silent tip to Oliver Nelson in the way Lou put together the sound palate for “Lou’s Blues”. As Oliver did with “Stolen Moments”, Lou distilled the elegance of Miles Davis’s “So What”, a modal blues of sorts, and crafted a new modal blues of his own. After a short blast of an introduction, Lou plays the melody with just the bass and drums, echoing Coltrane’s vibe. The band enters with the second appearance of the melody, with strong trombone counter lines, and just as the momentum builds up, a strong accents leads into an impressive solo by bassist Robert Dickson. At the end of the bass solo (with a beautiful background behind the soloist) an ensemble figure announces the guitar solo by Tom Wolfe. He plays a beautiful solo, filled with bursts of eighth note joy (dig the trumpet backgrounds behind his second chorus). After the guitar, Lou comes in full force on tenor, playing a whole lot of soul and a whole lot of finesse. The ensemble chorus is strong and let’s drummer fill in before there is an octave ensemble that builds and builds until it reaches the penultimate moment and then, Lou reappears silently, subtly, as if this music had been this quiet all along. The flutes and muted trumpets vamp out behind Lou to end the piece.

“Looking With New Eyes” was written by Lou in 1972 and was instantly made a classic by it’s inclusion for many years into NTSU lab band concerts. The trombone soli even became the audition material for trombone sections at the school. The melody, played by the flutes and flugelhorn, is pop flavored with a light bossa nova beat, and with its use of major seventh chords creates a happy, carefree ambiance. But when the trombones enter with their famous break (imitating a funk rhythm section) things begin to heat up. The sax section counters with some lines straight out of Thad Jones. After the ensemble climax Lou (on soprano sax) and Bo Berry (trumpet) duet over groove changes leading up to an exciting band climax with a repeat of the funk melody compressed into one chorus. The composition ends with a reprise of the bossa nova melody, ending in rubato. This composition and arrangement reflects Lou’s ability to create exciting, new music that embraces rock and the most advanced ideas of jazz music.

“Hip Pickles” is a composition that interchanges free jazz intro and rock music effortlessly. The melody is played by screaming trumpets and a Clapton-ized guitar. After the exposition of the melody, Lou and guitarist Tom Wolfe duet against a hard rock groove. The guitar comps and solos behind Lou, pushing his saxophone to challenge the electric guitar. The control of the soprano sax demonstrated by Lou is virtuosic, and his forays into the extreme register are handled with skill and taste. After the solos reach their natural climax, the melody is repeated with screaming trumpets and screaming guitar (this is a totally unique sound in ensemble writing today) setting up a hot guitar solo. The melody reappears again, one more time, before ending together (in octaves). A strong chart and a strong band to play it.

“Odalisk” begins in a somber mode, with the melody being played sotto voce. Soon, the percussion enters in clave as the melody continues until settling into a mysterious latin beat, with Lou’s soprano singing over the band. The composition moves into darker terrain and then, suddenly, a moment over ‘implied rubato’ (the use of bell-chord orchestration) shifts the music into a slinky, soulful minor groove. Lou takes over on tenor, and solos against a lush synth background (and a funky guitar rhythm pattern to guide the beat). Lou’s solo is filled with passion and his tone is so dynamic, his phrases often tailing off into air. As the melody returns, Lou uses it as an point of reference to continue soloing. Again, abruptly, the band shifts gears into a quasi- rubato section (distinguished by tight voicings in the upper brass and winds). The last section is a re-orchestration the melody (bringing to mind Gil Evans mid fifties work) using muted trumpets and flutes against a static piano accompaniment. The piece ends with a freely improvised moment, and fades into the atmosphere.

The late Weldon Irvine composed the funk instrumental standard “Mr. Clean”, made famous by Freddie Hubbard. Lou approaches the song literally, using the tune as a vehicle to get funky. His soprano dances around the groove and in between the keyboards and guitar. The arrangement really shows how strong the Magic City Jazz orchestra really is, tackling the intense ensembles. The lead trumpet player Chris Gordon deserves credit for keeping the feel all the way through the chart, and caps off the performance with some stunningly effective high note work.

Lou finally brings out his flute for “Song For John”, and after his monologue, a mix of quiet and muted trumpet state the melody. The composition is exotic in flavor, and the orchestration is very soft and delicate, allowing for the intricacies of Lou’s harmonic language to be highlighted. The ensemble phrases that launch Lou into his soprano sax solo spot are beautiful and heavy at the same time, establishing a mood of restraint and delicacy that comes to fruition with a surprisingly unexpected ending.

There is an air of optimism and beauty that envelopes “Dangerous Cargo”. The composition also demonstrates the total command of the arrangers language by Lou Marini. The exposed melody is developed slowly and carefully until a small ensemble passage sets up a romantic excursion by pianist Ray Reach. Halfway through the pianists solo, the rhythm section shifts into a double time samba, that leads into another short ensemble passage that transitions to Lou’s tenor solo. Lou floats over the changes and creates new melodies from one phrase to another. As the band shifts into double time Lou takes off in a flurry of ideas that express the urgency of the arrangement. It is one of the best compositions for modern jazz ensembles that has surfaced in recent years. Hats off to the band for being able to conceptualize the difficult twists and turns that Lou presented to them. The piece ends in mirror form, with the orchestration being recapitulated, dissolving to a bare minimum of flute, guitar and drums, and then, in a burst of emotion, big ensemble chords with a touch of Lou’s flute on top.

We back to the blues with “Rena/Country”. The chart showcases the band’s fluid swing feel and tight sound. The arrangement features Bo Berry on trumpet, who shows that he’s not afraid to play the blues, sounding at times like Blue Mitchell. The rhythm section of Ray Reach on piano, Robert Dickson on bass and Steve Sample on drums really dig in. The ensembles behind the soloists are swinging, and not in the way. The transition passages between the trumpet solo and the next section again features the ensemble pushing really hard to set up a round of chorus’s by Neil McLean on tenor sax, and Dave Amaral on tenor sax. After the tenor’s finish their battle, there is a killing ensemble that shows just how strong the trumpet section. The band ends up ending strong, and then after a pause, and a sonic alteration, a real old style jump blues (“Country”) is stomped off. Lou switches to alto for this one. This is the sound of real rhythm and blues, bringing to mind Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson. The ensemble break reminds one of “What I Say” in it’s intention, and sets off two trombonist’s battling it out for a chorus. Then the band immediately starts into the melody done at a frantic tempo and bringing to mind Armstrong’s band of the thirties. To top it off, there is a fake ending. Very creative.

This CD represents not only the music on the mind of Lou Marini, Jr. but also the collaborative efforts of The Magic City Jazz Orchestra, the co-producer Ray Reach, and the great engineering by Eric and Eugene Bates. The sound is as clear as if Rudy Van Gelder had recorded it. It should. It has to live up to the standards set by Lou Marini, Jr. And it truly lives up to those standards. And then some. Enjoy....

~ Bob Belden

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