Charlie Mariano

[Peter Friedman]

Charlie Mariano is on this as well as 2  other albums by Shelly Manne & His Men.

Edited April 24, 2023 by Peter Friedman

[HutchFan]

These are my two favorite Charlie Mariano records:

Charlie Mariano - Crystal Bells (CMP, 1980)
with Stu Goldberg (kybds), Gene Perla (b, el b), and Don Alias (d, perc)

and

Philip Catherine, Charlie Mariano, Jasper Van't Hof - Sleep My Love (CMP, 1979)
Earlier in the 70s, these three guys formed the core of the band Pork Pie.

Listeners who dislike synthesizers won't enjoy these albums. 

That said, I think these two records are AMAZING. I wish there were more jazz albums that used electric instruments this well.

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by HutchFan

[JSngry]

 

[felser]

 

[JSngry]

I like how he could play a commercial date like that Chico record and still speak true. He might not have liked it, but there it was anyway. Nobody else had that particular voice and he carried it with him everywhere.

[T.D.]

On 4/23/2023 at 5:15 PM, clifford_thornton said:

I like his Japanese sides with Sadao quite a bit, and with Toshiko.

Strongly agree on all of these. Iberian Waltz is my favorite of the Sadao recordings, but all 3 are good.

On 4/23/2023 at 5:26 PM, Mark Stryker said:

Haven't seen it mentioned, but the eponymous "Toshiko Mariano Quartet" on Candid contains fantastic Mariano playing. This version of "Deep River" is tremendously moving. I've also come to really appreciate the symbolism of a Japanese woman, two white Americans of Italian descent (Mariano, Gene Cherico), and a black American (Eddie Marshall) playing the hell out of a Negro spiritual -- that's America.  

 

 

+1

On 4/23/2023 at 8:20 PM, Mark Stryker said:

... the aforementioned "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" and "Toshiko Mariano Quartet" -- and Elvin Jones' "Dear John C." I mean, good Lord. The pure sound and rhapsodic glory of this ballad is from another planet. 

 

Mark is onto something here. 😉 Dear John C. is a great album.

 

I'm weird, but have enjoyed Mariano's Eastern-related music that I've heard (which isn't all that much).

This for instance:

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I got to see Charlie Mariano play at The Regattabar in 2000, shortly before his Parkinson's made it too hard for him to perform. He was still playing great that night.

It would have been a better night if Ray Santisi hadn't decided to play an electric keyboard set to "Doo Wah" mode. The left side of the keyboard made "Doo" sounds and the right made "Wah" sounds. It made for an odd night at the club with Mariano wailing away and Santisi doing that weird stuff with his keyboard. I'm still glad I got see it.

[Peter Friedman]

My personal taste primarily oriented to jazz from the 40's, 50's and 60's leads me to prefer Charlie Mariano's playing on his albums from those years.

Though I don't care for most of his later sessions. There are a few exceptions including the two albums with Tete Montoliu, and the excellent "Deep In A Dream"