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The mix master
Charlie Mariano, highlight of the Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Jazz And Blues Festival, has crossed continents and experimented with the weird and wonderful music forms but the broadening of his musical horizons, he claims, is no more than a happy accident.
".'."or(:'s: Kenny Mathieson
(’harlie Mariano makes a long oyerdue lidinburgh debut at the .la// liestiyal. 'l‘he alto sa.\ophonist has had one ol‘ the most colourlul careers of any American jal/ musician ol his generation. although the lact that he has pursued much of it elsewhere has limited his reputation back home. liollowing a period liying in Japan (with pianist 'l‘oshiko ;\kiyoshi. then his wife) and Malaysia. Mariano settled in (iermany in the late ()()s and has no regrets.
‘l'm l‘rom Boston. but I liyed in a lot of different
places eyen in :\merica.‘ he says. 'I was in New York for six years and l.os Angeles for tour. and then I ended up back in Boston teaching at Berklee. and that was not really what I wanted. Not that I hate teaching. bill I was teaching 30 hours a ‘ w eek: that’s like a day job. I tell I was losing touch with playing music. and when the opportunity to come to liurope presented itsell‘. I took it. It’s been great for me here; and I don't lime to teach.~
He began playing in Boston in the late 40s. and came to national attention with the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1953 5. He worked with :\kiyoshi in the early (ills. and with ('harles .\lingus in l‘)(i2 3. initially in a three-horn group. and then in the ten- piece band which recorded the classic ili/It' li/(Ii‘lt‘ Sui/II .lm/ 'l'lu' Sinner [xii/y“.
The late (i()s brought a major change in his work. and a new l‘ascination with Indian music. He has e\plored that connection in a number ol contexts. including collaborations with the Karnataka ('ollege ()l' Percussion. He studied the nagaswaram. an oboe- like Indian instrument. and used it in \arious recordings. but has now set it aside.
‘I can’t say that l eyer got Very 1111‘ on it.‘ he says. 'I tried. and I still lo\e its sound. but l‘ye giyen it tip. it’s too much. I lirst got into Indian music in Malaysia in l‘)()7. I knew the more lamous North Indian players like Rayi Shankar. but when I went to
60 THE LIST '2’) 3:; 3 m; 2000
'I resent the fact that people always want to classify everything. Who cares what it's called?’ Charlie Mariano
Charlie Mariano is a man for all genres
Malaysia I heard South lndian music tor the lirst titne. and it attracted me because I could grasp the rhythms more easily. It felt closer to American black music. which is what I grew up listening to.’
:\t the same time. Mariano was also engaging with ja/x-roek groups in (iermany. and with more experimental liuropean players like liberhard Weber in his group ('olours. the l'nited .la// :\nd Rock linsemble with Philip ('atherine and .lasper \'an’t llol‘. and Ambush with Stu Martin and Barre l’hillips. He has play ed with pop and rock hands. including a stint with Steely Dan. bttt claims that none ol' these things haye been a deliberate search l‘or new directions. llis eclecticism is also reflected in his dislike ol’ musical categorisation. whether by genre or nationality.
'liyet'ytlting that has happened in the way ol playing music l’rom dil'l‘erent cultures has been more or less by accident. I wasn’t looking lor anything in particular in that sense. liyen now I don’t really do that. but il‘ I come across something and it sounds good it) me. lllc‘ll l like it) 11'} il. l kiiltl ()l. t'c‘sc‘nl lllc‘ l'act that people always want to classil‘y and compartmentalise eyerything. I think we are all here trying to do the best we can. Who cares what it's calletl'."
Charlie Mariano plays La Belle Angele, Edinburgh on Sat 29 Jul.
Surface noise
All the sniping, griping and hyping in the wonderful world of music RONI SIZE'S BRISTOL drum & bass outfit Reprazent return with a new, as yet untitled album on Monday 2 October. This is preceded by a single 'Who Told You’ on Monday 11 September. Live dates are to be scheduled for later in the year.
LATESl ADDIlIONS TO the T on the lrtnqe l)|ll are spet tat llltll US aim;st ro< kers lhe Deftones who play the (om l‘x< image on lyvlooday 78 August
THE ORIGINAL CROWN princes of goth, The Sisters Of Mercy, play their first Scottish show in fifteen years with a date at Glasgow Barrowland on Saturday 2 September.
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THE LIST HAS been alarmed to find out that Scottish ska-punk outfit The Newtown Grunts have declared war on the magazine. The Grunts are, erm, disgruntled by a review of them at Edinburgh’s CasRock published last issue, and by what they regard as an ignoring of punk music by The List. We wish point out that The List does not operate any kind of anti-punk policy and realise that it’s not dead, but festering happily away all over Scotland, and cover it where possible and appropriate. Our next password will be ’ROMFORD'.
JUST ANNOUNCED
Summer Nights In The Country, feat Emmylou Harris, Little Feat, Steve Earle, The Felsons, llopetoon Home, near litiuihti': Sat 20 Am}, The Sisters Of Mercy, iai'tozxfahti, (i'(‘:\<l()'.'., Sat 2 Set), Lou Reed, Rom (on; ei’. Ha. , (minnow, i': 8 Set), Julian Cope, K2"<; lots, (: ast;<>‘.'., l' o ()(f,l :io.<iR<)o'h, l(ll‘.l)til(;l1,\tii / ()(1 Coldplay, ()HU, (:5.i~.t:<>’.'., Lac 1‘.) ()t f, l5(l.. (l Roo'w, [mourning \.'.e<i l i ()t t, The Bluetones,l-1.irroz'. um; (Bastion, i‘) ()t 1, David Gray,
Biti'ox. (ifitl, (1"i‘uilt)‘.'., ill 2() ()t f, ldlewild, Bird): (and, (1.is<;o.'., Sat 21 ()t 1, Iron Maiden, SH ( , (rust/arr” li‘t; 2 Noz, Embrace, l%.i"t>‘.'.3.i"(:, (iliis(;o'.'., Sui i) Nov
The Deftones