| Marco Katz | |
|---|---|
Marco Katz in Buenos Aires 2009 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 16, 1957 |
| Origin | New York City, New York |
| Genres | American music, jazz, salsa |
| Instruments | Vocal, guitar, trombone |
| Years active | 1970- |
Marco Katz (born March 16, 1957 in New York City) plays trombone and arranges and composes music for Band, Brass quintet, and other musical ensembles. Reviewer Adam Gaines writes, "Katz's compositions are a real highlight of the disc. His trombone writing is expertly idiomatic, and his music is harmonically interesting without being obtuse."[1][1]
Contents |
As a jazz and salsa trombonist in New York City, he became known for his unique use of the plunger Mute (music).[2][3] [2] Marco performed as a featured soloist with Mon Rivera, recorded with the Lebron Brothers and Carlos Barbería y su Orquesta Kubavana, and in 1978 was nominated “Trombonist of the Year” by Latin NY Magazine for his recording work with Alegre All-Stars Director Charlie Palmieri. In 1994, he recorded "Tubby the Tuba Meets a Jazz Band" for Tubby the Tuba and Friends, an Angel Records release that featured narrations by Paul Tripp and performances by Bob Stewart on tuba, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Paquito D'Rivera on clarinet, Marco on trombone, Chuck Folds on piano, John Thomas on percussion, and Oliver Jackson on drums.[3] [4][5]. Marco’s score for Zoey's Zoo (Oh Yeah! Cartoons on the Nickelodeon channel) helped the Nickelodeon production win first place at the 31st Annual International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) East Animation Festival on May 7, 2000.[4] Marco’s compositions have been performed by the NYC All-City High School band at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, his Love Songs Theme was broadcast nationally on VH1, and his arrangement of Good Old Mountain Dew was performed by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. His recent works include several songs and a Song cycle for voice and piano based on Piedras del cielo by Pablo Neruda.
Marco earned a Performing-Artists-in-the-Schools certification from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1987. Five years later, he studied Gamelan music in Bali. From 2001-2002, he lived in Spain and studied art, politics and literature at the Complutense University of Madrid, textual training that helped him formulate critical views on the place of musicians in contemporary society. In the twenty-first century, Marco has turned to writing on music and other cultural topics. His English and Spanish language articles appear in the Routledge journal Popular Music and Society,[6] Espéculo (Complutense University of Madrid), La Guagua, and Culturas Populares (University of Alcalá).[7][8][9][10][11]
Marco's arrangements and compositions are published by Bourne Co. Music Publishers, International Music Company, and Carl Fischer Music.[12][13][14]. The arrangements for the International Music Company often employ classical compositions in settings for trombones and brass quintets. Although some of these works, especially the trombone trios and quartets, have been well received by educators, a reviewer in the International Trumpet Guild Journal finds fault with Katz' brass quintet arrangements of music by Juan Morel Campos. The reviewer objects to Katz' positing of Morel Campos as an important composer, noting "he does not merit a mention in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians." As for the works themselves, the reviewer finds them "rhythmically interesting but rather simple melodically."[5]
As trombonist:
As composer:
Compositions:
Arrangements:
In English
In Spanish