Lou Marini has long deployed his formidable creative energies as a saxophonist-for-hire in New York City. Whether playing tenor, soprano, alto, or a flute or clarinet, he always makes sure his sound and tone project soulfulness. On his busy calendar this year are tours with pop singers James Taylor and Lynda Carter, respectively, and work with the City Boys Allstars. Marini is also a world-class arranger, composer, and jazz educator.
Like Allstar Tom Malone, Marini studied jazz at North Texas State University in the late 1960s then signed on with the Woody Herman Orchestra and later jazz-rock pioneers Blood, Sweat & Tears. Since settling in New York City in the 1970s, he’s been a major force in pop, rock, jazz and other music. Consider some of his activity over the years. The Saturday Night Live house band. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s Blues Brothers band (more than a dozen records, many shows, two films—”Blue Lou” Marini famously walked a counter top playing saxophone to Aretha Franklin‘s lead vocal on “Think, in 1980’s The Blues Brothers). Levon Helm & the RCO All Stars (three records, SRO concerts). Grammy Award and network television shows. Martin Scorsese’s historic The Last Waltz film and soundtrack. The Lew Soloff Quintet. Jazz recordings with Mike Gibbs, Eddie Palmieri, Tony Bennett, John Tropea, Joe Beck, Freddy Cole, etc. Countless pop, rock, or world-music recordings and/or concerts with everyone from the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Sting, Lou Reed, and Billy Joel to Peter Tosh, Manu Dibango, Dr. John, Frank Zappa, and Ringo Starr.
Marini has made several well-received feature albums, including 2012’s Starmaker, 2010’s Highly Classified, co-featuring Israeli pianist-composer Misha Segal, and 1992’s Soul Serenade. The son of an esteemed high school music educator, he was on the jazz faculty at Stan Kenton Band Clinics and National Stage Band Camps. He has conducted jazz workshops and performed with pianist Ray Reach’s SuperJazz Big Band in Alabama; the SuperJazz spin-off called the Magic City Jazz Orchestra joined forces with the saxophonist to record the 2003 album Lou’s Blues. Among so many other things, Marini has served as the musical director of the Brianza Blues Festival in Italy.
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