The Consumate Sideman

Here's another one from the past. May 2009 in fact. Why all the reruns? Well, it's not because I'm lazy or anything. It's just that... uh... mmm... O.K., I'm lazy. I admit it. But it's summertime here in the Northern Hemisphere, so give me a break. Who really wants to spend the summer months sitting in front of a computer? Not me. Besides, this gives you an opportunity to explore the BWBW archives without having to do any of the work. So don't say I never did you any favors.

This re-post concerns a talented musician and educator who's been vital and long time mainstay of the Bay Area jazz scene. He's also a gentleman to boot and he deserves your attention. Read on my friend...

The Remarkable Drumming Of
Eddie Marshall
Friday, August 19, 2011

Update: Eddie sadly passed away on September 07, 2011

Eddie Marshall is perhaps one of the most talented, yet under recorded artists in the jazz idiom today. As both a drummer and a composer, his tasteful rhythmic support and compositional skills have been criminally underutilized on disc, leaving him adrift in a medium that could sorely benefit from having a complete musician of his caliber and refined taste. His standing may be a result of his own modest, laid back personality which shows no use for 'stardom,' but perhaps more so because of his insistence on remaining in the San Francisco Bay Area where despite the presence of Fantasy Studios, is not presently a recording center for the industry. But this is not to imply that Marshall is necessarily underemployed mind you. Not by any stretch of the imagination. He continues to lend his talents to many diverse and far reaching projects, while also spreading the wealth by teaching jazz music to a new generation of young adults and children, a passion he's embraced from early on in his career. Yet when it comes to a recorded legacy, his footprint while impressive, remains a relatively negligible one.

For nearly fifty years now, Marshall has done his bit to keep the jazz flame alive west of the Mississippi River. One of the true guardians of Bay Area jazz, Eddie has not only been a consistent force, but a welcomed presence in the local scene despite his self-effacing claim that he's "just a drummer who has played with quite a lot of jazz celebrities." Humility aside, there is a certain amount of truth in that statement however. For instance, in the 1970's when he was the house drummer at the defunct, Keystone Korner, he supplied tasteful accompaniment for the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Mariano, Sam Rivers, Eddie Harris, and many, many others. He's also held a long standing musical camaraderie with Toshiko Akiyoshi, as well as a more than satisfying working relationship with Bobby Hutcherson, Bobby McFerrin, and the late, Stan Getz. On disc, he can be heard with diverse artists such as John Handy, Kenny Burrell, Archie Shepp, Ahmad Jamal, John Klemmer, and even The Pointer Sisters. It's an impressive resume all around, yet the mention of his name outside of jazz circles just might raise a question mark in the form of a blank stare.

Outside of the late Billy Higgins, Marshall is easily among the most tasteful drummers that any band leader could ever desire. Never a showman, Eddie is a presence that is almost felt rather than heard. His subtle rhythmic propulsion is the glue that holds the music together, there to support the soloists with a solid foundation of swing without ever stepping on their toes. Yet when he is called into the spotlight, he is more than capable of delivering the goods, sending it Federal Express and wrapped with a stylish bow on top. Any band player can tell you that if the drummer is off, the entire feel is lost and muddled. Eddie Marshall is never off. He is a consummate sideman, there when you need him with encouragement and support like he's your best friend in the world. It's no wonder then that he is in continual demand by many of the greatest players in jazz today from Marlena Shaw to Cedar Walton, Charles Llyod, Julian Priester, and others.

Among his finest recorded moments in my opinion, are those with vibraphonist, Bobby Hutcherson. Marshall was a member of Hutcherson's working and recording band through a particularly rewarding period in the latter's career, and Hutch in turn lent his talents to Eddie's first of only two recordings as a leader, the delightful 'Dance Of The Sun,' which was released in 1979. Before this fruitful association, Marshall was perhaps best known as a co-founder of the seminal fusion group, The Fourth Way along with Mike Nock, Michael White, and Ron McClure, an underrated band that never attained the commercial success of their electrified counterparts. Both ensembles represent the most enduring and best documented of Marshall's recorded output, and both are featured extensively in the mixes below with each set showcasing the two bands separately. But the centerpiece (in addition to his most excellent playing) is really Marshall's own compositions. It's unusual for a drummer to compose pieces of such sophistication, yet Marshall (who possesses formal training) is an accomplished writer whose works are simply superb, and truly deserving of greater acclaim. These pieces are marked with an asterisk for easy identification. The tracks in the first set are all from Marshall's work with Hutcherson, both as a leader and as a sideman. The second set features Marshall's contributions to The Mike Nock Underground and to The Fourth Way when he was a member of that band. It should be noted that Eddie also recorded Almanac with Nock, along with Bennie Maupin and Cecil McBee, but the recording is currently out of print, and unfortunately not in my collection. In time, Marshall eventually released his second date as a leader in 1999, a mere 20 years after the first with 'Holy Mischief.' Although I don't possess a copy of this either, I have heard it and can testify to it's greatness, and I would highly recommend your seeking it out. Copies can be purchased directly from Eddie at his website.

In writing this, it has brought to mind for me just how much of a likable and deserving guy Eddie Marshall really is. And upon listening once again to the conversation that we recorded many years ago, I am also reminded of his openness, as well as his taste for adventure by placing himself in new musical situations and surroundings. To keep himself fresh, Marshall has involved himself over the years in desperate projects from funk to theater, classical to rhythm and blues, and even a stab at punk rock as he comically describes in the interview below. One of the tastiest drummers in music today, allow me to present to you the many talents of Eddie Marshall.

Eddie Marshall I

1.) The High Priestess Of Gone*
2.) The Stroll*
3.) Dannielle*
4.) But I Refuse To Come Down*
5.) Andre*
Taken from 'Dance Of The Sun' with Eddie Marshall as leader

6.) Why Not
7.) Little B's Poem
8.) 'Til Then
9.) Houston St., Thursday Afternoon
10.) Waiting

Taken from Bobby Hutcherson dates with Bobby as leader and featuring Eddie Marshall


Eddie Marshall II

1.) Every Man's Your Brother
2.) Sparky
3.) Bucklehuggin'
4.) Openings
5.) Gemini
Taken from Fourth Way dates, a collective with Mike Nock, Michael White, Ron McClure and Eddie Marshall

6.) Mechanical Man
7.) The Sybil
8.) Sun And Moon Have Come Together
9.) Blues My Mind
10.) Farewell, Goodbye
11) Skiffling
12) Strange Love
13) Wax Planet
14) Hobgoblin

Taken from The Mike Nock Underground featuring Eddie Marshall

The Eddie Marshall Interview



Source material for 'Eddie Marshall I' comes from the following:
Dance Of The Sun/Eddie Marshall (1979)
Knucklebean/Bobby Hutcherson (1978)
The View From The Inside/Bobby Hutcherson (1977)
Waiting/Bobby Hutcherson (1976)

Source material for 'Eddie Marshall II' comes from the followings:
The Fourth Way/The Fourth Way (1969)
Sun And Moon Have Come Together/The Fourth Way (1970)
Between Or Beyond/The Mike Nock Underground (1970)


For more info on Eddie Marshall, please visit his website.