Planet Pulse...

She’s been the go-to drummer / percussionist for Miles Davis, Jan Garbarek and Pierre Dorge. She’s been awarded the Jazzpar Prize. She was born of African-American and Polish parents and has lived in Denmark since she was six. She’s a wonderful composer and an outstanding bandleader.

I first heard Marilyn Mazur on Miles Davis’ last Columbia recording Aura (I guess, technically speaking, it isn’t really a Miles Davis album but, rather, a Palle Mikkelbourg recording). But Miles was impressed enough with her performance to enlist her as his touring drummer / percussionist and appeared on Davis’ Live Around the World and Complete Miles Davis at Montreux 1973-1991.



Then there was my infatuation with Pierre Dorge and New Jungle Orchestra. I love their infectious synthesis of jazz and world folk musics. Mazur’s percussion is the rhythmic backbone that is like a beacon to all the soloists as they veer off from the mothership. Simply put: their music makes me happy.
















Then there was that string of outstanding ECM recordings by Jan Garbarek – Twelve Moons, Visible World, and Rites. All are prototypical ECM/Garbarek works and are drenched with the imaginative Marilyn Mazur percussive touch.






But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I became aware of the fact that Mazur is a superlative bandleader and composer. I came across her double CD, All the Birds: Reflecting & Adventurous, the live recording she made as part of her Jazzpar Prize selection. I immediately fell in love with it!

The performance we have here comes from a concert in Bremen on April 18, 2008. The musician line-up is: Marilyn Mazur – percussion; Tone Ase – vocal; Krister Jonsson – guitar; Hans Ulrik – saxophone; Audun Kleive – drums; Klavs Hovman – bass; Mariko Hirabayashi - piano/keyboard

The playlist is:
01 Coming Into Life - 06:16
02 PRI - 09:45
03 Malibalo - 09:44
04 The Holy - 12:27
05 Insist - 13:48

Enjoy!