''Martian Heartache'' is an album by the American jazz French horn player and composer

Tom Varner Tom Varner (born June 17, 1957 in Morristown, New Jersey, Morristown, New Jersey, United States) is an American jazz French horn, horn (French horn) player and composer. Varner grew up in Millburn, New Jersey, where he started playing in the orc ...

, recorded in 1996 and released on the Italian

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

label.Tom Varner discography
accessed July 15, 2011

Reception

The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by Chris Kelsey stated: "This album is one of the finest manifestations of the experimental impulse in jazz to be heard in some time".Kelsey, C
AllMusic Review
accessed July 15, 2011 The authors of the ''

Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on compact disc, CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions wer ...

'' awarded the album 4 stars, and commented: "Sculpted with absolute precision but loose and swinging in feel, the music never turns fragmentary or episodic; even the shortest pieces are fully realized, composed and uncluttered." Glenn Astarita, writing for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, called the album "a poignant and multifaceted project," and stated: "''Martian Heartache'' covers lots of territory. It is apparent that this gang was having loads of fun in the process and the entertainment factor rates a perfect 10!... The compositions have staying power and like the proverbial fine wine, get better with age. Highly Recommended!"

Track listing

:''All compositions and arrangements by Tom Varner except as indicated'' # "Nuke 'em Tony" – 3:02 # "Keep It Up" – 7:46 # "Martian Affirmation" – 6:08 # "Venus with a Syringe" – 3:45 # "Precarious Dog" – 0:58 # "Isaac Has a Vision on the Subway" – 6:16 # "The Quick and the Dead" – 4:39 # "Send Me a Probe" – 0:50 # "Tough Luck" – 5:44 # "Betsy Says Yes" – 1:18 # "Eva Etc." – 10:09 # "Anxiety All the Time" – 0:40 # "Learn Something!" – 5:30 # "Small Cry Big Laugh" – 11:13 # "Lady Gay" (Traditional) – 3:24 :*Recorded at Tedesco Studios in New Jersey on March 5 & 6, 1996

Personnel

– French horn *Ed Jackson –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

Ellery Eskelin Ellery Eskelin (born August 16, 1959) is an American tenor saxophonist raised in Baltimore, Maryland and residing in New York City. His parents, Rodd Keith and Bobbie Lee, were both professional musicians. Rodd Keith died in 1974 in Los Angeles, ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

Drew Gress Drew Gress (born November 20, 1959) is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in the Philadelphia area. Biography Gress studied at Towson State University and Manhattan School of Music. In the late ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

Tom Rainey Tom Rainey (born 1957) is an American jazz drummer. Career After attending Berklee College of Music he moved to New York in 1979. He has played with Tim Berne, Nels Cline, Drew Gress, Mark Helias, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, Simon Nabatov, Tom ...

– drums *Pete McCann – guitar (tracks 2, 5 & 11) * Dominique Eade – vocals (track 15)

References

{{Authority control Black Saint/Soul Note albums Tom Varner albums 1996 albums