Louis William Marini Jr. (born May 13, 1945), known as "Blue Lou" Marini, is an American saxophonist, arranger, and composer. He is best known for his work in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

, rock, blues, and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

, as well as his association with

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...

Early life

Marini was born in Charleston, South Carolina. His parents were Italian immigrants from the region of

Trentino Trentino ( lld, Trentin), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento, is an autonomous province of Italy, in the country's far north. The Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, an autonomous region ...

. He graduated from Fairless High School in Navarre, Ohio. His father, Lou Marini Sr., was the high school's band director and wrote the school song. Fairless bestows the annual Lou Marini Award in honor of Marini Sr. who died in May 2008. Both Lou Marini Sr. and Lou Marini Jr. were inducted into the Fairless Alumni Association Hall of Honor in May 2010. In June 2010, Marini Jr. was named artistic director at the first Brianza Blues Festival, in Villa Reale ( Monza, Italy). Marini attended North Texas State University College of Music (now known as the University of North Texas College of Music), where he played in the

One O'Clock Lab Band One O'Clock Lab Band is an ensemble of the Jazz Studies division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, Texas. Since the 1970s, the band's albums have received seven Grammy Award nominations, including two for ''Lab 2009''. ...

. From 1972 to 1974 he played in

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...

. From 1975 to 1983, he was a member of the ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' house band. He was a member of

band, appearing in ''

'' movie and its sequel, '' Blues Brothers 2000'', playing the part of "Blue Lou", a moniker given by Dan Aykroyd. He played on Frank Zappa's 1977 album ''

Zappa in New York ''Zappa in New York'' is a double live album by Frank Zappa released on his own DiscReet Records label. It was recorded in December 1976 at a series of concerts at the Palladium in New York City. The album was scheduled for release in mid 1977 b ...

'', on

Cindy Bullens Cidny Bullens (formerly Cindy Bullens; born March 21, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, who is best known for serving as backup vocalist on tours and albums with Elton John and Rod Stewart, as well as providing vocals on the soundtrack of ...

' 1978 album '' Desire Wire'', and has worked with Aerosmith, Deodato,

Maureen McGovern Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs " The Morning After" from the 1972 film '' The Poseidon Adventure''; " We May Never Love Like This Again" from '' ...

, Steely Dan,

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

, Dionne Warwick, the

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

Big Band, and the

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Orchestra.

Solo work

Marini has spent most of his professional life working as a sideman and arranger. In 1986, he recorded a mournful, melancholy solo sax for the soundtrack of HBO's 1987 animated adaptation of Bernard Waber's children's book ''The House on East 88th St.'' which was released under the title ''Lyle, Lyle Crocodile''. In 2004, he recorded his first recording as a bandleader, with Ray Reach and the

Magic City Jazz Orchestra The Magic City Jazz Orchestra (MCJO) is an American jazz ensemble which was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the SuperJazz Big Band (formerly UAB SuperJazz) by Birmingham, Alabama jazz pianist and vocalist Ray Reach. The mission of the group is t ...

, titled '' Lou's Blues'' (2004). This album features his arrangements and compositions, many of which have become favorites for the Lab Bands at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

. The liner notes of the album were written by Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger, and producer Bob Belden. On March 23, 2010, he released ''Blue Lou and Misha Project - Highly Classified'', a collaboration with Misha Segal, an Israeli pianist and composer.

Compositions and arrangements

Marini's work as an arranger and composer has been influenced by

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...

Bob Brookmeyer Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of G ...

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

, and

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his lif ...

, as well as rock, pop, and avant-garde music. For example, his song, "Hip Pickles," written for

Blood, Sweat and Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...

, is described by reviewer Jack Bowers of ''AllAboutJazz.com'', as follows: "Marini's unorthodox notions surface on 'Hip Pickles,' whose free' intro gives way to a melody played by screaming trumpets and Clapton-like guitar, prefacing a stormy interchange between Marini (alto) and Tom Wolfe n guitar"

Discography

Solo

* '' Lou's Blues'' 2001 * ''Highly Classified'' 2010 * ''Starmaker'' 2012

As guest

With

* '' Briefcase Full of Blues'' 1978 * '' The Blues Brothers: Music from the Soundtrack'' 1980 * '' Made in America'' 1980 * '' Best of The Blues Brothers'' 1981 * '' Dancin' wid da Blues Brothers'' 1983 * '' The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux'' 1990 * '' Red, White & Blues'' 1992 * '' The Very Best of The Blues Brothers'' 1995 * '' Blues Brothers & Friends: Live from Chicago's House of Blues'' 1997 * '' Blues Brothers 2000'' 1998 With

* ''Naughty Baby'' 1989 * ''Baby I'm Yours'' 1992 * ''Out of This World'' 1996 * ''Music Never Ends'' 1997 With

John Tropea John Tropea (pronounced 'tro-pay'; born January 7, 1946) is an American guitarist. Career Tropea began guitar studies at the age of 12. His musical education continued at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied jazz guitar, harmo ...

* ''Short Trip to Space'' 1977 * ''To Touch You Again'' 1979 * ''NYC Cats Direct'' 1985 * ''The Chick Corea Songbook is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer on September 29, 2009. Play Flute & Alto Flute in 6 Song "500 Miles High" With Frank Zappa * ''Zappa in New York'' 1978 * ''You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 6'' 1992 * ''Läther'' 1996 * ''Have I Offended Someone?'' 1997 With others * Aerosmith – ''Night in the Ruts'' 1979 * Larry Applewhite – ''Larry Applewhite'' 1979 * Jesse Austin – ''Baby's Back'' 1995 * Patti Austin – '' Havana Candy'' 1977 * Carolyn Blackwell ''Sings Bernstein'' 1996 *

– ''New Blood'' (1972) * Blood, Sweat & Tears – ''No Sweat'' (1973) * Boyzz – ''Too Wild to Tame'' 1978 * Brecker Brothers – ''Don't Stop the Music'' 1980 * Jimmy Buffett – '' Off to See the Lizard'' 1989 *

– ''Desire Wire'' 1978 *

Ann Hampton Callaway Ann Hampton Callaway (born May 30, 1958) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and actress. She wrote and sang the theme song for the TV series ''The Nanny''. Career A native of Chicago, her father, John Callaway, was a journalist and her mot ...

– ''Bring Back Romance'' 1994 * Cameo – ''Feel Me'' 1980 *

Dina Carroll Geraldine Carroll (born 21 August 1968) is an English singer. She had a string of hits during the 1990s, including the UK top ten singles, " It's Too Late" (1991), " Don't Be a Stranger" (1993), "The Perfect Year", (1993), and "Escaping" (1996 ...

– ''So Close'' 1993 * Closer Than Ever – ''Closer Than Ever'' 1990 * Freddy Cole – ''It's Crazy, But I'm In Love''1996 * Hank Crawford – ''Groove Master'' 1990 * Hank Crawford – ''South Central'' 1992 * Deodato – ''Night Cruiser'' 1980 * Manu Dibango – ''Gone Clear'' 1980 * Manu Dibango – ''Ambassador'' 1981 * Amy Drinkwater – ''With All My Heart – A Journey to the Soul'' 2005 *

Cornell Dupree Cornell Luther Dupree (December 19, 1942 – May 8, 2011) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. He worked at various times with Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis and Steve Gadd, appeared on David Letterman,

– ''Coast to Coast'' 1988 * Eric Essix – ''SuperBlue'' 2006 * Donald Fagen – '' Kamakiriad'' 1993 * Family Thing – ''Family Thing'' 1996 * Robben Ford – ''Inside Story'' 1979 * Aretha Franklin – '' Get It Right'' (1983) * Michael Franks – '' Tiger in the Rain'' 1979 * The J. Geils Band – ''Freeze Frame'' * The J. Geils Band – ''Houseparty: Anthology'' 1992 * Michael Gibbs – ''Big Music'' 1988 * Levon Helm – ''

Levon Helm & the RCO All-Stars ''Levon Helm and the RCO All-Stars'' is a 1977 album by the short-lived musical group of the same name. It was Levon Helm's first studio album independent of The Band. Track listing # "Washer Woman" (Mac Rebennack) # "The Tie That Binds" (Mac Re ...

'' 1977 * Levon Helm – '' Levon Helm'' 1978 * Lena Horne – ''Live On Broadway'' 1981 *

Bobbi Humphrey Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Humphrey (born April 25, 1950) is an American jazz flautist and singer who plays jazz fusion, funk, and soul-jazz. She has recorded twelve albums and founded the jazz label Paradise Sounds Records. In 1971, she was the first ...

– ''Good Life'' 1979 * Denise Jannah – ''I Was Born In Love With You'' 1995 *

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art hist ...

– '' Guts for Love'' 1983 * Eddie King – ''Another Cow's Dead'' 1997 * D.C. LaRue – ''Laso'' 1977 * D. C. Larue – ''Ten Dance'' 1977 * Fred Lipsius - ''Better Believe It (mja Records, 1996) * Love & Money – '' Strange Kind of Love'' 1988 *

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nicke ...

– ''Worldwide Attraction'' 1979 * Mike Mandel – ''Sky Music'' 1978 *

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

– ''Dead Ringer'' 1981 * Elliott Murphy – ''Night Lights'' 1976 *

Walter Murphy Walter Anthony Murphy Jr. (born December 19, 1952) is an American composer, keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for the instrumental " A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which top ...

– ''A Fifth of Beethoven'' 1976 *

Milton Nascimento Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured across the world. Nascimento has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music Album for his alb ...

– ''Angelus'' (flute) 1994 * Claude Nougaro – ''Nougayork'' 1987 *

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

– '' Walk the Dog and Light the Light'' 1993 * Linda Clifford – ''I'll Keep on Loving You'' 1982 * Jill O'Hara – ''Jill O'Hara'' 1993 *

One O'clock Lab Band One O'Clock Lab Band is an ensemble of the Jazz Studies division at the University of North Texas College of Music in Denton, Texas. Since the 1970s, the band's albums have received seven Grammy Award nominations, including two for ''Lab 2009''. ...

– ''Best of One O'clock'' 1992 * Eddie Palmieri – ''Unfinished Masterpiece'' 1990 * Tom Pierson – ''Planet of Tears'' 1996 * Andy Pratt – ''Shiver in the Night'' 1977 *

Raw Stylus Raw Stylus was a London-based dance music outfit whose core members were Donna Gardier, Jules Brookes and Ron Aslan. In 1995, they released the single, "Believe in Me", which reached number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a minor ...

– ''Pushing Against the Flow'' 1995 * Lou Reed – '' Sally Can't Dance'' 1974 * Repercussions – ''Earth and Heaven'' 1995 * Jess Band Roden – ''Player Not the Game'' 1977 *

Joe Roccisano Joseph Lucian Roccisano (October 15, 1939 in Springfield, Massachusetts – November 9, 1997) was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger. Career Roccisano received his bachelor's degree in music education from SUNY-Potsdam in 1963. In 1964 he ...

– ''Shape I'm In'' 1993 * Joe Roccisano – '' Leave Your Mind Behind'' 1995 * Lalo Schifrin – ''Towering Toccata'' 1976 *

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

– '' A Song'' 1977 * Carly Simon – '' Hello Big Man'' 1983 * Ray Simpson – ''Ray Simpson'' 1992 *

Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (born Phoebe Ann Laub; July 17, 1950 – April 26, 2011) was an American roots music singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for her hit 1974 and 1975 songs " San Francisco Bay Blues", " Poetry Man", "Harpo's Blues", and her credited ...

– ''Something Real'' 1989 * Spyro Gyra – ''City Kids'' 1983 *

Marvin Stamm Marvin Louis Stamm (born May 23, 1939) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Stamm was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Stamm began on trumpet at age twelve. He attended North Texas State University, where he was a member of the One ...

– ''Stampede'' 1983 * Ringo Starr – ''

Ringo's Rotogravure ''Ringo's Rotogravure'' is the fifth studio album by Ringo Starr, released in 1976. It was the last project to feature active involvement from all four former Beatles before John Lennon's murder in 1980, and the second of two projects following th ...

'' 1976 * Steely Dan – ''Two Against Nature'' 2000 * Sunshine – ''Sunshine'' (1972) * T. Life – ''That's Life'' 1978 * Kate Taylor – ''Kate Taylor'' 1978 * B.J. Thomas – ''Songs'' 1973 * B.J. Thomas – ''Longhorn & London Bridges'' 1974 * Harvey Thomas – ''Highways of Gold'' 1995 * Peter Tosh – ''Mystic Man'' 1979 * Peter Tosh – ''Wanted Dread & Alive'' 1981 * Luther Vandross – ''Forever, For Always, For Love'' 1982 * Thijs Van leer – ''Nice to Have Met You'' 1978 * Dionne Warwick – ''Dionne Warwick Sings Cole Porter'' 1990

References

External links

Official website

Official website of Ray Reach

''Lou's Blues - Lou Marini and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra''
reviewed at ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

''
Article - Lou Marini : "Blue Lou" Blows On
from ''One FInal Note'' Jazz Webzine

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marini, Lou 1945 births Living people American jazz composers American male jazz composers American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American music arrangers Blood, Sweat & Tears members Record producers from South Carolina Rhythm and blues saxophonists Saturday Night Live Band members The Blues Brothers members University of North Texas College of Music alumni People from Navarre, Ohio 21st-century saxophonists American people of Italian descent