Charlie Mariano died June 16 in Cologne, where he had lived for 30+ years, at age 85, of cancer, peacefully, it is said, at a hospice.
There was no mention of his passing in the New York Times; perhaps the coverage provided by their subsidiary in Mariano's home town, the Boston Globe, was deemed sufficient. In any case, New York City was seldom his scene; he was more a citizen of the global village than of Greenwich Village. Initial onset of Mariano's multicultural explorations predated even Don Cherry's, and both connected more - and different - dots in evolving what we now call world music than any other American jazz players.
There is a site, charliemarianotribute.de, which - blessedly, in English - includes a comprehensive discography, biography and much more, to which I refer the reader for such things, but I cannot resist mentioning Mariano's first professional gig: age 18, for $19 a week, at Izzy Ort's bar and dance hall in what was then known as Boston's combat zone.
He was a member of that vanishing generation which fell in love with swing before there was bop, mastered both, and attained that ability to play both inside and outside. Among saxophonists, he was one of the few who could speak with equal authority to the music of Charlie Parker or Evan Parker. Mariano knew there was something out there, beyond science.
While Mariano's prolific recordings are well enumerated in that online discography, a few obscurities which are hard to find but worth the search merit more mention here:
OSMOSIS, on RCA, from 1970, the only album by that Bostonian jazz-rock septet, which has aged surprisingly well for this sort of thing. In their day, they were openers for Frank Zappa and Miles Davis, which well indicates their intent. Brit prog-rock later trod similar ground. (CD reissue on Synton, of unspecified Euro-origin)
MAGIC MANSIONS, Mike Nock quartet, 1977, on Laurie. One of his few recordings in New York City, and one of his best. Nock still plays some of the tunes Mariano brought to those sessions. Their piano and soprano sax duet opening for "Everglad" is about as close to perfection as mortals can get. (LP only)
OCTOBER, a sextet date from 1977, on Contemp (also licensed by Inner City), which was his first album as a European bandleader, and also auspiciously introduced Trilok Gurtu to the west. (LP only)
TEA FOR FOUR, a 1980 quartet with Edward Vesala, Arild Andersen and Pork Pie founder Jasper Van't Hof, on the Leo (Finland, not UK) label. Their playing field was level but by no means flat. Projects like this made much of what was going on in the US at the time seem even less interesting. (LP only)
ONE NIGHT IN '88, PAS DE TROIS and LIVE IN CONCERT - featuring the trio of Mariano with pianist Wolfgang Dauner and bandoneon player Dino Saluzzi, all on Mood. While the Pork Pie troika lasted a lot longer, this grouping of peers inspired a different, deeper digging on all parts, often enough pretty, but always beautiful.
ADAGIO - his 1993 trio, on Lipstick, featuring renderings of classical themes from Albinoni to Villa-Lobos, as well as Beethoven, Chopin and Dvorak, among others. Steve Swallow says hearing those still brings tears to his and Carla Bley's eyes.
It was my good fortune to cross paths with Mariano several times over the years, and thrice he generously humored me as I attempted to commit portraiture. Herewith five chosen Marianographs:
1983: portrait, on the Harvard campus, Cambridge MA. While Charlie always seemed comfortable in his own skin no matter where we were, this was one of his childhood stomping grounds - his dad, after immigrating from Italy, worked for many years at Harvard, as a cook. Previously unpublished.
1995: portrait, in his music room, Cologne. Despite an interval of 12 years, he greeted me warmly during my first visit to his home. I had brought him a sheet of the new US postage stamps featuring jazz artists, the first sight of which brought a grin to his face. As he pointed to the image of Mingus, he voiced his disbelief that more than three decades had passed since they'd worked together. Previously unpublished.
1998: snapshot, at the request of both, with Albert Mangelsdorff, backstage, JazzFest Berlin. Artistic Director Mangelsdorff had dropped by to see his long-time friend and cohort at the same time I happened to be passing through, and they struck this pose, unprompted, while they asked me to document the moment.
2008: portrait, at his kitchen table, Cologne. Though I can never know how he really felt, while Charlie seemed a bit wistful that he could no longer play as much or as long as he liked, he also seemed basically at peace with the world. I think he took satisfaction in knowing he had not only done a lot of innovative and interesting things, but had done them well. This was the very last photo I took of him. It will appear in the booklet for THE GREAT CONCERT, forthcoming on ENJA.
I first saw Charlie Mariano in the mid-1970s in a concert at ONKEL PÖ in Hamburg with the polish violinist Zbigniew Seifert. I was highly impressed by the passion with which they created contemporary music on this particular — and for me very special — evening. As a classical trained European full of enthusiasm for the protest era of folk and rock music, this experience was to have a far-reaching effect.
My musical tastes changed in subsequent years, and it was always Charlie Mariano who gave me fresh inspiration with his recordings and concerts.
Whether he was playing with Eberhard Weber's group "COLORS", in Toto Blanke's "ELECTRIC CIRCUS", Wolfgang Dauner's "UNITED JAZZ + ROCK ENSEMBLE", or in what for me was his most interesting formation "PORK PIE" with Jasper van't Hof and my guitar "hero" Philip Catherine, it was always Charlie Mariano who with his fragile, emotional and unmistakable sound (his "Tears of Sounds") moved me deeply.
The performances of this modest, human and selfless artist are always of the highest musical standard. Without his being aware of it, he became my musical sponsor and inspired me with his enthusiasm to persist in my endeavours and find my own way.
In the 90th, I sought new musical ideas with the help of Marika Falk and Jost H. Hecker, and in 1995 I asked Charlie to record the CD "TIGRIB" with us.
In the studio it was very cordial and uncomplicated, and we recorded "TIGRIB" almost in one day. There was only one piece left for the next morning, and I remember, that Charlie complained about pain in the small of his back. Despite, he played brilliant — but this were the first symptoms of his cancer.
In 1999 we had the opportunity to record the music again "live" (with a few additional pieces). This time I was able to present the music in a version with two wind players, the multi-instrumentalist Roger Jannotta and Charlie Mariano. The result is the CD "MARIANO". In 1996 I wrote the title piece "MARIANO" to thank that outstanding musician, my secret sponsor Charlie Mariano.
In the following years we had several concerts together, as far as Charlie's physical conditions allowed it. In 2003 we had a small tour together and one of the concerts was recorded and filmed on the DVD "PRÄLUDIUM".
I was always fascinated how dynamic and openminded Charlie was – for instance: On his 80th anniversary he started a 30 days tour, without a day off and everyday with a different group. This is admirable, and I wish to have a condition like that, when I'm at his age.
Charlie was very open to my music and with his sensitive playing, he enhanced it in his own personal way. I'm very grateful that I have met him, that we recorded together and that he enriched my music with his beautiful sound and brilliant idears.