Eric Marienthal (born December 19, 1957) is a Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles-based contemporary
saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
best known for his work in the
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
jazz fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
,
smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is commercially oriented crossover jazz music. Although often described as a "genre", it is a debatable and highly controversial subject in jazz music circles. As a radio format, however, smooth jazz radio became the successor to e ...
, and pop genres.
Early life
Eric Marienthal was born on December 19, 1957, in
Sacramento, California
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
, to Robert Marienthal, an insurance salesman, but moved to San Mateo when he was two years old. He has credited his enthusiasm for music on being taught music while in school, and picked up the saxophone in the fourth grade after he thought it looked "pretty cool". Marienthal has also mentioned his father was a fan of music, particularly 1940s and 1950s such as
Boots Randolph
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician. His 1963 saxophone hit " Yakety Sax" became the signature tune of ''The Benny Hill Show''. Randolph was a prolific session musician and member of the Nas ...
,
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...
and
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
. He initially wanted to pick up the trumpet but a teacher discouraged him because of his braces. As Marienthal progressed, his father bought him a $400 Selmer saxophone and enrolled him in Corona Del Mar High School. Throughout his education, Marienthal also learned to play guitar (in grade school), flute, clarinet (both high school) and piano (college).
After graduating from high school in Southern California in 1976, he studied at the
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
, where he studied with the saxophone professor, Joe Viola. By the time he left Berklee, Eric had achieved the highest proficiency rating given by the school.
Career
Marienthal started his professional career in 1980 with famed
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
trumpeter
Al Hirt
Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java (instrumental), Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn (album ...
. After returning to Los Angeles, Eric became a member of the
Chick Corea Elektric Band
Chick Corea Elektric Band was a jazz fusion band, led by keyboardist and pianist Chick Corea and founded in 1986 in New York City. The band was nominated twice at the Grammy Awards. The sixth band album, a tribute one named ''Chick Corea Elektric ...
. Marienthal has stated that he was a Chick Corea fan even before he started performing with him. He recorded six albums with that band and two of them won Grammy Awards.
Marienthal has also written instructional books, including ''Comprehensive Jazz Studies & Exercises'', ''The Ultimate Jazz Play Along'', and ''The Music of Eric Marienthal'' and instructional videos, including ''Play Sax From Day One'', ''Modern Sax'' and ''Tricks of the Trade'', all published by Warner Brothers Publications, which is now
Alfred Publishing
Alfred may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series
* ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne
* ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák
*"Alfred (Interlu ...
/Belwin Jazz.
Every summer since 1999, he has put on an annual fundraising concert fo High Hopes Head Injury Program a non-profit organization in
Orange County, California
Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
, that works with people who have suffered traumatic head injuries.
Marienthal occupies the lead alto chair of
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, or simply The Big Phat Band, is an 18-piece Orchestral jazz, jazz orchestra led by Gordon Goodwin that combines the big band swing of the 1930s and 1940s with contemporary music such as funk and jazz fusion. Since ...
, playing alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, and piccolo.
In 2012, Marienthal released the album ''It's Love'', produced by guitarist
Chuck Loeb
Charles Samuel "Chuck" Loeb (December 7, 1955 – July 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist and a member of the groups Steps Ahead, Metro and Fourplay.
Early years and education
Loeb was born in Nyack, New York, near New York City. At ...
, who also appears on the tracks. The studio band includes keyboardist
Russell Ferrante
Yellowjackets is an American jazz fusion band founded in 1977 in Los Angeles, California.
History
In 1977, guitarist Robben Ford, for his first solo album, recruited keyboardist Russell Ferrante, electric bassist Jimmy Haslip and drummer ...
, drummer
Gary Novak
Gary Novak (born in 1969) is an American session drummer who has collaborated with numerous artists as varied as George Benson, Maynard Ferguson, Chick Corea Elektric Band, Brandon Fields, Lee Ritenour, Michael McDonald, Natalie Cole, David ...
, and bassist
Tim Lefebvre
Tim Lefebvre (born February 4, 1968) is an American bass guitarist. Both as a session musician and band member, he has worked with a wide range of musicians, including David Bowie, The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello, Sting, Empire of the Sun, The ...
.
Equipment
* Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone with a "Eric Marienthal Special" mouthpiece with a size 7 (.085 inch) tip opening and ishimori woodstone ligature
* Yamaha Custom Z Alto Saxophone with a Beechler Metal No. 7 mouthpiece and 'Olegature' ligature
* Selmer Mark VI Tenor Saxophone with a Berg Larsen Metal 100/2 mouthpiece and Brancher ligature
* Yamaha YSS 62 Soprano Saxophone with a Selmer Super Session #H mouthpiece and Harrison ligature
*Muramatsu Flute
*
Vandoren
Vandoren is a manufacturer of mouthpieces, reeds, and accessories for the clarinet and saxophone families.
History
Vandoren was founded in 1905 by Eugène Van Doren (1873-1940), a clarinetist for the Paris Opera. The original location was eventual ...
traditional 2.5 reeds
Select discography
Albums
Charted singles
As a leader
* 1988: ''Voices of the Heart'' ( GRP)
* 1989: ''Round Trip'' (GRP)
* 1990: ''Crossroads'' (GRP)
* 1991: ''
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentOne Touch'' (GRP)
* 1994: ''Street Dance'' (GRP)
* 1997: '' Easy Street'' (PolyGram/Verve)
* 1997: ''Collection'' (GRP)
* 1998: '' Walk Tall'' (
Verve
Verve may refer to:
Music
* The Verve, an English rock band
* '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve
* ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album)
* Verve Records, an American jazz record label
Businesses
* Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...
)
* 2001: ''Turn Up the Heat'' (
Peak Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...
)
* 2003: ''Sweet Talk'' (Peak)
* 2005: ''Got You Covered'' (Peak)
* 2007: ''Just Around the Corner'' (Peak)
* 2012: ''It's Love'' (Peak/
Entertainment One
Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series.
The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
)
* 2015: ''Bridges'' with
Chuck Loeb
Charles Samuel "Chuck" Loeb (December 7, 1955 – July 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist and a member of the groups Steps Ahead, Metro and Fourplay.
Early years and education
Loeb was born in Nyack, New York, near New York City. At ...
With David Benoit
* 1989: ''Urban Daydreams''
* 1994: ''Shaken Not Stirred''
* 1997: ''American Landscape''
With
Brian Bromberg
Brian Bromberg (born December 5, 1960) is an American jazz bassist and record producer who performs on electric and acoustic instruments.
Biography
Bromberg was born on December 5, 1960, in Tucson, Arizona. His father and brother both played ...
* 2009: ''It Is What It Is''
With Matt Catingub
*1984: ''Your Friendly Neighborhood Big Band''
*1985: ''Hi-Tech Big Band''
With
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain (instrumental), Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba" ...
* 1987: ''Light Years''
* 1988: ''Eye of the Beholder''
* 1990: ''Inside Out''
* 1991: ''Beneath the Mask''
* 1993: ''Electric Band II: Paint the World''
* 2004: ''To the Stars''
* 2023: ''The Future is Now''
With
Brian Culbertson
Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American smooth jazz/ R&B/funk musician and producer. His instruments include the synthesizer, piano and trombone.
Early life and career
Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he wa ...
* 2008: ''Bringing Back the Funk''
* 2009: ''Live from the Inside''
* 2014: ''Another Long Night Out''
With
Gordon Goodwin
Gordon L. Goodwin (born December 30, 1954) is an American pianist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is the leader of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. He has won three Daytime Emmy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and 25 Grammy nomina ...
* 2000: ''Swingin' for the Fences''
* 2003: ''XXL''
* 2006: ''The Phat Pack''
* 2006: ''Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas''
* 2008: ''Act Your Age''
* 2009: ''Dave Siebels with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band''
*2011: ''That's How We Roll''
* 2014: ''Life in the Bubble''
* 2015: ''Wrap This!''
* 2016: ''An Elusive Man''
* 2019: ''The Gordian Knot''
* 2021: ''The Reset''
* 2023: ''Raymond Scott Reimagined with Quartet San Francisco''
With
GRP All-Star Big Band
The GRP All-Star Big Band was a contemporary big band assembled in the late 1980s by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen, the founders of GRP Records. The band played new arrangements of popular jazz pieces from the 1950s and 1960s.
Its albums '' GRP Al ...
* 1992: ''GRP All-Star Big Band''
* 1993: ''Dave Grusin Presents GRP All-Star Big Band Live!''
* 1995: ''All Blues''
With Roger Neumann
*1983: ''Introducing Roger Neumann’s Rather Large Band''
With
Dave Weckl
Dave Weckl (born January 8, 1960, in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American jazz fusion drummer and the leader of the Dave Weckl Band. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2000.
Biography
Weckl started playing his first se ...
* 1990: ''Master Plan
* 1992: ''Heads Up''
As a guest
With The Rippingtons
* 1996: ''Brave New World''
* 2000: ''Life in the Tropics''
* 2002: ''Live Across America''
* 2003: ''Let it Ripp''