Steve Marcus

Steve Marcus (September 18, 1939 – September 25, 2005) was an American jazz saxophonist.

Biography

Marcus was born in The Bronx, New York, United States. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, between 1959 and 1961. He gained experience playing in the bands of Stan Kenton, Herbie Mann and Larry Coryell from 1963 to 1973. His first album as a leader included an arrangement of the Beatles' song, "Tomorrow Never Knows". He worked with jazz drummer Buddy Rich for the last twelve years of Rich's life. After Rich died, Marcus led the band and renamed it Buddy's Buddies.

His song "Half a Heart" (1968) has a riff very similar to the famous saxophone riff of "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty (recorded in 1977, released in 1978).

Marcus died in September 2005 in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As a member

The Jazz Composer's Orchestra

Bob Thiele Collective

As sideman

With Larry Coryell

With Stan Kenton

With others

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1615. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Fordham, John (23 October 2005). "Obituary: Steve Marcus". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Adam Chandler (December 17, 2015). ""'Baker Street': The Mystery of Rock's Greatest Sax Riff"". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015.