Dodo Marmarosa

[Larry Kart]

From an old Cadence interview with Danny Bank: "He was with you in the Barnet band." "Marvelous player. He was nuts, absolutely crazy. No discipline, no respect. He would follow women into the ladies room. He considered himself Art Tatum, and Tatum liked him too. A genius, very, very good, I liked Dodo."

[Dub Modal]

Sounds like a jackass. Did he ever play with Getz? 

[Larry Kart]

But a genius. He and Stan would have made quite a pair. I'll go with Bank's description: Dodo was nuts ... but not at all I think a mean person.  Stan was or could be an a**hole, jerk, a mean, manipulative S.O.B. you name it ... and a genius.

[Gheorghe]

I have not known anything about his non-musical live, and from music I think the only listening examples I have is from the "Moose the Mooche" session of Bird. But I didn´t pay so much attention to the piano on those tracks, they were "learning examples" for me to write down the tunes of "Moose The Mooche, Confirmation and so on, and listen to Bird´s solo on Night in Tunisia. I don´t remember if there were any ballads played on that Dial session. It was good learning stuff, better executed than the early Savoy stuff. 

[Big Beat Steve]

Trying to round up anything on record by Dodo Marmarosa became natural for me as soon as my interests in bebop developed. Like Al Haig and George Wallington (maybe even more so) I enjoyed his output immensely from Day One (and still do). The twists in his melodies - particularly on his Dials - are fascinating.
Luckily his leader dates were easy to come by in the 80s on reissues on Spotilte, Raretone and Phoenix Jazz (plus some more here and there elsewhere). I eventually also rounded up his somewhat later recordings (when he resurfaced again briefly) - "Chicago Sessions" and "Jug & Dodo".
And of course his two releases on Uptown ("On The Coast" and "Pittsburgh 1958") were a must too. The interview excerpts included on Uptown have him sound rather down to earth and relaxed - not crazy. (Mellowed with age, maybe?)

(At any rate, the antics described in the starting post don't really sound worse than those of many other nut jobs - not jerks - in the business)

For an even more comprehensive explioration of his work, this is useful:

https://www.amazon.com/Flights-Vout-Bug-Dieter-Salemann/dp/1593933371/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1676618142&sr=8-1

Though my copy (clearly a print-on-demand publication) has a silly page layout (unnecessarily small print and silly wide blank margins).

 

[JSngry]

It think it's safe to say that Dod had mental health issues that derailed his public functionality,

[jazzbo]

+1 on the Uptown releases; top of the heap reissues!

[Simon8]

His session with Wardell Gray is a favorite (« Dell’s Bells », « One for Prez», « The Man I Love », « Easy Swing », « The Great Lie »).

[Larry Kart]

Buddy DeFranco, who was close to Dodo, they were both from Pittsburgh, tells the story of. the time they were both with Barnet circa 1942/43 and ran into some sailors in uniform in the NYC subway. These sailors, seeing these two sharply dressed civilians, thus malingers-draft dodgers, took umbrage and tried to beat the crap out of them. Buddy was pretty much able to defend himself but Dodo got beaten up quite badly, many blows to the head etc., and Buddy dates Dodo mental problems to that incident. This story might have been in Gitler's "Swing to Bop."  

[JSngry]

Head trauma's a bitch. And not yet not fully addressed/understood medically. But progress is being made!

[BillF]

My favorite Dodo story (and I can't remember where I read it) was that when Dodo was staying in the home of a musician friend, the friend and wife went shopping, leaving Dodo alone in the house. On return they were amazed to to see lots of their furniture in the front garden. They found Dodo at the piano in a room otherwise bare of furniture. Asked why, Dodo said, "Man, the acoustics weren't right".😃

Edited February 18, 2023 by BillF

[T.D.]

2 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Buddy DeFranco, who was close to Dodo, they were both from Pittsburgh, tells the story of. the time they were both with Barnet circa 1942/43 and ran into some sailors in uniform in the NYC subway. These sailors, seeing these two sharply dressed civilians, thus malingers-draft dodgers, took umbrage and tried to beat the crap out of them. Buddy was pretty much able to defend himself but Dodo got beaten up quite badly, many blows to the head etc., and Buddy dates Dodo mental problems to that incident. This story might have been in Gitler's "Swing to Bop."  

I've also read that anecdote, though I can't recall where.

[Jim Duckworth]

In his Smithsonian interview Buddy Defranco states that when he and Dodo first started playing together, in Johnnie "Scat" Davis's band, Dodo was 14.  I can only imagine that starting out so young as a full-time traveling musician could very well have a deleterious effect on one's development.

[JSngry]

31 minutes ago, BillF said:

My favorite Dodo story (and I can't remember where I read it) was that when Dodo was staying in the home of a musician friend, friend and wife went shopping , leaving Dodo alone in the house. On return they were amazed to to see lots of their furniture in the front garden. They found Dodo at the piano in a room otherwise bare of furniture. Asked why, Dodo said, "Man, the acoustics were't right".😃

Not that far removed from Sonny Rollins' mid-60s behavior in clubs where he would walk around the room looking for different sounds, sometimes going so far as to aim at different spots on the ceiling, just to check out the difference between the spot he was had just been in.

[jazzbo]

2 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Buddy DeFranco, who was close to Dodo, they were both from Pittsburgh, tells the story of. the time they were both with Barnet circa 1942/43 and ran into some sailors in uniform in the NYC subway. These sailors, seeing these two sharply dressed civilians, thus malingers-draft dodgers, took umbrage and tried to beat the crap out of them. Buddy was pretty much able to defend himself but Dodo got beaten up quite badly, many blows to the head etc., and Buddy dates Dodo mental problems to that incident. This story might have been in Gitler's "Swing to Bop."  

Shades of the purported incident that caused Bud's problems.

[AllenLowe]

I love Dodo's playing, particularly the early work, but there is some later stuff with Ammons etc from the 1960s that is pretty good, if more mainstream in approach. One thing that no one seems to notice is that Dodo's early soloing hints at so-called "modal" approaches. The way he played lines - instead of using the typical bebop scale arcs and resolutions, he seemed to be just going in a straight line, not unlike later Miles, as though the line was stretching forward. (and I don't think he plays well on the first Uptown release).

[Larry Kart]

I ran into Dodo right after he made that album with Ammons; there was a trio album too. Our college dorm at the U. of ChIcago put on a concert circa 1962 with Ira Sullivan and company, don't recall right now who the other players were, but it was a fine Chicago rhythm section, I think Jodie Christian, Donald Garrett, and Wilbur Campbell, don't think there was another horn player. The  recently built skyscraper-like dorm, since torn down, was divided into two-floor units, with the top floor of each unit circling the one below -- it was a well-and-balcony-like setup with. the dorm rooms running along the outside of the building, and the band played in the well between maybe floors seven and eight. The audience was as large as could be fit in, people were hanging over the railings of the balconies, and was appropriately enthused. Dodo was there, IIRC Joe Segal brought him along; the whole affair had been coordinated with Joe, with the musicians being well paid, though I don't recall there being an admission fee. So at one point between sets I found myself in someone's dorm room with Dodo and two or three other people. Seated on a bed he seemed rather withdrawn but not unhappy; how could he be with the music that was being played? I don't recall any conversation with him taking place, though I certainly knew who he was.

[Chuck Nessa]

Also this:

Bill Hardman (tp) Dodo Marmarosa (p) Richard Evans (b) Ben Dixon (d)
Chicago, November 2, 1962
11971 Dodo's tune                         Argo  (It)ARCD502
11972 Automation                                             -
11973 Analysis                                                  -
11974 Someday                                                -
11975 Only a rose                                            -
11976 Take home pay          (unissued)
11977 Gone with the wind                              -
Note : All issued titles also on Affinity CDAFF755 and Charly (E)CDAFF755.
 

[Larry Kart]

Never knew of that album. How is it?

[mjzee]

1 hour ago, Larry Kart said:

there was a trio album too.

Was it this, recorded May 1961?

[Chuck Nessa]

2 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Never knew of that album. How is it?

Saw it once in a 2fer.

1 hour ago, mjzee said:

Was it this, recorded May 1961?

Had the lp and ordered a cd today here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BTYG9S3?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

[Big Beat Steve]

6 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Also this:

Bill Hardman (tp) Dodo Marmarosa (p) Richard Evans (b) Ben Dixon (d)
Chicago, November 2, 1962
11971 Dodo's tune                         Argo  (It)ARCD502
11972 Automation                                             -
11973 Analysis                                                  -
11974 Someday                                                -
11975 Only a rose                                            -
11976 Take home pay          (unissued)
11977 Gone with the wind                              -
Note : All issued titles also on Affinity CDAFF755 and Charly (E)CDAFF755.
 

That's the "Chicago Sessions" LP I was referring to in my earlier post.

The above session makes up sides 3 and 4 of this reissue:

https://www.discogs.com/de/release/6584810-Dodo-Marmarosa-The-Chicago-Sessions

The "Dodo's Back!" LP above corresponds to sides 1 and 2 of this "Chicago Sessions" twofer.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Big Beat Steve

[Brad]

12 hours ago, mjzee said:

Was it this, recorded May 1961?

This was re-issued in Japan in 2021. 

[mikeweil]

On 2/17/2023 at 9:04 PM, JSngry said:

Not that far removed from Sonny Rollins' mid-60s behavior in clubs where he would walk around the room looking for different sounds, sometimes going so far as to aim at different spots on the ceiling, just to check out the difference between the spot he was had just been in.

I can understand that. When I was playing for dancers I always tried several spots in the room until I found the one where my conga drums sounded the best. Makes a big difference! I clubs you have no choice.

[Late]

On 2/17/2023 at 6:37 PM, mjzee said:

Was it this, recorded May 1961?

Full album

👉👍👈