ROGER
MARKS In Retrospect
Marks out of Twenty
Exciting new release featuring
the pick of Roger's Trombone Feature
performances over a period of 20 years.
This sensational release on the prestigious Upbeat
Label has received good airtime on BBC Radio,
and drawn exceptional reviews from the jazz press, some of which
are shown below
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TRACK
|
MUSICIANS
|
1
|
O Sole Mio
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
2
|
The Way You Look Tonight
|
Roger Marks Quartet
|
3
|
Stormy Weather
|
Roger Marks and
Craig Milverton (pno)
|
4
|
Isle of Capri
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
5
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Sweet Sue
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
6
|
Try A Little Tenderness
|
Roger Marks
and his Mainstreamers
|
7
|
Mack the Knife
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
8
|
Schlafe Mein Prinzchen
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
9
|
Quando Quando Quando
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
10
|
I Can See Clearly
|
Roger Marks and his
Mainstreamers
|
11
|
Estrellita
|
Roger Marks and Pete
Sumner (bjo)
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12
|
Cheek to Cheek
|
Roger Marks and
Duncan Swift (pno)
|
13
|
Besame Mucho
|
Roger Marks, John
Whitlock (gtr) and Bob Jarvis (ebs)
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14
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Dark Eyes
|
Roger Marks and Pete
Sumner (bjo)
|
15
|
On Broadway
|
Roger Marks Quartet
|
16
|
Sweet Georgia Brown
|
Roger Marks Armada
Jazz Band
|
Roger Marks’ Armada Jazz Band toured Britain and, to
a lesser extent, Europe extensively for 25 years
appearing repeatedly at the majority of jazz clubs and
festivals and enjoyed great popularity with the public
and critics alike,
receiving generous air-play on BBC Radio 2 in particular.
This CD will appeal to a large audience being very much
BBC Radio 2 repertoire as well as interesting for the
jazz aficionados.
Humphrey Lyttelton really liked Roger Marks’ playing
and gave him a lot of airplay during his lifetime.
"I have more than once drawn attention on this
programme to the superbly articulated and richly toned
trombone playing
of Plymouth - based trombonist Roger Marks."
Humphrey Lyttelton 31st July 2000 on playing ‘O Sole
Mio’ on BBC 2 broadcast 'Best of Jazz'.
ROGER MARKS - In
Retrospect - Marks out of Twenty
upbeatrecordings : URCD270D
REVIEWS
"Roger Marks is a
tireless bandleader and promoter of Traditional and Mainstream
jazz throughout the South West, and for that, we should all go
down on our knees and thank him. But it should never be forgotten
that he is, first and foremost, a superb trombonist whose agile,
but muscular playing, brings to mind the likes of Lawrence Brown,
Tyree Glenn, Lou McGarity, and perhaps most of all, with his
witty quotes and occasional octave leaps, our own beloved George
Chisholm.
I first encountered Roger’s world-class playing in the 1980s
and '90s when Humph repeatedly featured him on his Radio 2 record
show - an endorsement that guaranteed quality as far as I was
concerned (and I’m confident I was right).
So it is both welcome and long overdue that Upbeat has produced
this collection of tracks, all featuring Roger as the sole horn,
backed by various rhythm sections or, sometimes, just a piano or
a banjo. Many of the recordings are live, but the sound quality
is superb throughout, with just the applause at the end of some
tracks giving away the fact that these are not studio recordings.
My personal favourite, however, is a studio recording,
Roger’s 1996 encounter with stridemaster Duncan Swift on
Cheek to Cheek, a wonderfully invigorating and playful duet on a
tune that not often used by jazz musicians. This track alone
makes this CD essential listening, as far as I’m concerned,
but there are plenty of other gems to be heard on this
celebration of one of Britain’s very best trombonists.
Jim Denham
Just Jazz ~ the Traditional Jazz magazine
August 2015 ~ issue No.220.
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