Jazz
United States
George Marsh
Altri album di George Marsh
Chi è George Marsh
Città natale
Belleville, IL, United States
Nato/a
1941
Genere
Jazz
Two drummers named George Marsh have been active in American music history. Although unrelated, their careers barely overlapping, certain traits are coincidentally held in common concerning genres such as West coast jazz and jazz fusion. Neither term was in play when the elder George Marsh was toting his expanded collection of percussion equipment around for bandleaders such as Bix Beiderbecke, or from one Los Angeles recording studio to another. This Marsh died in the spring of 1962; he should not be confused with the identically named percussionist whose recording and performing credits begin promptly at the close of that decade.
The influential early jazz bandleader Paul Whiteman was the first Marsh's big boss in the '20s. According to most accounts, Whiteman hired the drummer in 1924, Marsh becoming an important part of what was a distinct musical landscape. Not every jazz listener likes the sonic view of Whiteman -- or Beiderbecke, for that matter. This Marsh's close association with such artists combined with the later Marsh's involvement with John Abercrombie, Henry Kaiser, David Grisman, and the Grateful Dead invites speculation concerning any intrinsic connections between these types of artists. A much more obvious link between the two drummers named George Marsh is the stuff they were willing to carry around, as if there was really any other subject when it comes to drums. Both men have performed on a wide variety of percussion gizmos. With Whiteman and Beiderbecke, the first Marsh recorded on gongs, castanets, whistles, chimes, and something known as the "harp-o-phone." As for George Marsh number two, lots of "little instruments" have been a required accessory for drummers coming out of the '70s jazz fusion scene.
Some of the earliest jazz fusion would of course have to be the offerings of Whiteman and Beiderbecke, not to mention the entire New Orleans jazz scene. Marsh began working with trumpeter Beiderbecke in the late '20s, also recording with players such as Eddie Lang and Frankie Trumbauer. Such activity overlapped the previously mentioned affiliation with Whiteman. Marsh would drop in and out of the latter outfit to take on other assignments, his replacements including the moody Johnny "Gloom" MacDonald as well as the somewhat more upbeat Vic Berton. Ferde Grofé, who eventually would write The Grand Canyon Suite, was the pianist in the Beiderbecke group. Beginning in 1932, Grofé utilized Marsh in his own group for several years. Following this gig, Marsh radically changed the context of his work. He took a job with an orchestra working in a Los Angeles film studio and must have liked the experience very much. Marsh lived ever after in Hollywood, presumably happy playing these types of jobs. The only deviation from this was a period in Minneapolis during the Second World War. ~ Eugene Chadbourne
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