Trombonist and band leader Roger Marks from the UK probably gets little name recognition in the traditional jazz community in the US. As this CD demonstrates, however, he is something of a virtuoso on that instrument and a talented musical director.
The sessions from which these tracks are culled feature Marks playing on some tracks with various quartets of diverse components and some with a trio of Marks and two guitars or a duo of Marks and either piano or banjo. Since there is no trumpet/cornet or reed instrument on any, Marks carries the burden of providing the lead except where he is “spelled” a little on a few of the tracks by either the piano or the banjo or a guitar. Regardless, the interpretations do swing.
In his notes to this CD, Marks informs us all of these tracks, recorded on cassettes and CDs, had lain forgotten in a cake tin for years. Although they come from live sessions back in 2001, he found enough of sufficient quality to assemble this CD.
A glance at the tune list—selections from the “Great American Songbook”— shows that a little over half of the selections, by my estimation, are seldom, if ever, attempted by traditional jazz bands. Small as these groups are, the great variety of textures and the improvisations lead to interesting—and to me even exciting—renditions. Marks will also on occasion, end with a cadenza, as he does in “The Way You L
