REMEMBERING DODO MARMAROSA
By Len Dobbin

September 23, 2002

On Sunday, September 22, just as I was leaving to do my weekly jazz show "Dobbin's Den" [CKUT - Montreal], I spotted an email generated by the "Yellow Dog" site with the words "Dodo Marmarosa" in the heading. That email announced the death of this largely unheralded pianist. A web search brought me to a piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by one Nate Guidry, a staff writer for that paper. It announced that Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa [who according to Montreal doctor/record [Uptown] producer, Bob Sunenblick] preferred to be called "Mike", had died at the VA Medical Center in Lincoln Lemington, Pa. on Tuesday, September 17 - the story quotes his sister as saying that that day he played a small organ on the 4th floor of that building and then returned to his room saying he wasn't feeling well. Apparently it was his habit to play the piano and organ for other residents of that facility and their guests. His last professional gig came in the late 60s when he worked at the Colony Restaurant in Mt. Lebanon. He was then forced into retirement by diabetes. He was 76 at the time of his death.

'Dodo' was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. on December 12, 1925 and there studied classical piano from the age of nine. Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum were, when he discovered jazz, his pianists of choice. He and another local pianist, Erroll Garner, soon hooked up and began practicing together. In 1941, 'Dodo', at the age of 15 was being heard around town with local bands when the pianist in the touring band of Johnny 'Scat' Davis quit when the band was in Pittsburgh and, after his father practically dragged Davis' lead trumpeter Jimmy Pupa to hear his son, Dodo found himself on the road on with Davis where he was heard by [then saxophonist] Buddy DeFranco. When Gene Krupa decided to form his own big band DeFranco hipped Gene to 'Dodo' and he and Buddy went on to play with a series of bands, Krupa, Ted Fiorito, Charlie Barnet, Tommy Dorsey and Krupa again. 'Dodo' then joined the 1944 Artie Shaw band and was also a part of a revamped "Gramercy Five" [Gramercy 5 was a NY telephone exchange of the time]. In 1946 at the age of 20 he headed for California and [at the beginning of the bebop era in LA] became the house pianist for the "Atomic" label. By 1947 he was winning a "New Star" Award from Esquire magazine. After working with the likes Slim Gaillard, the forward looking Boyd Raeburn Orchestra and Lucky Thompson, he rejoined Artie Shaw through 1950. Then family problems, a traumatic three month stay in the Army and the state of his mental health, brought him back to Pittsburgh and relative obscurity. He recorded a session for the Chicago-based "Argo" label in 1961 and ended his playing career in 1968. The valuable "DODO MARMAROSA: PITTSBURGH, 1958" issued on Sunenblick's "Uptown" label is the last of the recorded legacy containing sessions done in 'Dodo's hometown in 1957, 1958 and 1962. That CD comes with an amazing amount of information about Marmarosa - info not to be found anywhere else. According to DeFranco in Ira Gitler's excellent aural bebop history, "Swing To Bop", he and "Dodo' got beaten up by a group of sailors in the subway in Philly, DeFranco and Marmarosa were in their Gene Krupa band uniforms at the time. The beating left 'Dodo' in a coma for almost 24 hours and, in Buddy's words, "... he was the never the same" after that incident. Marmarosa was one of THE pianists in the early days of bebop, after Clyde Hart, Monk and Bud Powell - 'Dodo" is usually mentioned in the same breath as George Wallington, Al Haig and Joe Albany.

There's quite a recorded legacy on CD: Under his own name there's DODO LIVES on Topaz which has his 1943 feature with the Barnet band, "The Mooche" written by Ralph Burns as well as a Barnet track from 1945; five with the Gramercy Five as well as the Shaw 1945 recording of Eddie Sauter's arrangement of "Summertime'; a number of items with Slim Gaillard and with Boyd Raeburn ["Dalvatore Sally" and "Boyd Meets Stravinsky"] a 1946 trio date with Ray Brown on bass as well as a pair of solo items from the same year; a pair with Bird, 6 with Lucky Thompson and finally another feature for 'Dodo' - "Flight of The Vout Bug" with the orchestra of trombonist Lyle Griffin. DODO'S BOUNCE on Fresh Sound has the 1947 trio tracks he did with Barney Kessel and Gene Englund, a number of solo piano tracks including "Tone Paintings I" and "Tone Paintings II", tracks under Lucky Thompson's name including "Bopmatism" and the 1947 Dial trio date that has Harry Babison doubling bass and cello (a first?). The aforementioned, PITTSBURGH, 1958 has three tracks including Bud Powell's "Oblivion" from a 1962 Pittsburgh TV show with his friend trumpeter Donny Conn, a pair from an earlier session [1957] with Conn and altoman Buzz Renn, a single track from a March 1956 concert in Oakland, Pa. and 13 tracks recorded live at the Midway Lounge in 1958 in a trio format - the CD is introduced by Mike ['Dodo'] Marmarosa as he sounded on June 17, 1995.

The 1945 sides he did with Lester Young including "D.B. Blues" [for Detention Barracks] and "Lester Blows Again" for "Aladdin" have been reissued by Blue Note, the two sessions with Charlie Parker for Dial - "Moose The Mooche", "Yardbird Suite", Ornithology" and "Night In Tunisia" from March 28, 1946 and "Relaxin' at Camarillo", "Cheers", "Carvin' The Bird" and "Stupendous" from February 26, 1947 are on the COMPLETE DIAL SESSIONS, a 4CD set on Definitive. The sides with the Artie Shaw small groups of 1945, including "The Grabtown Grapple" and "Hop, Skip and Jump" are on THE COMPLETE GRAMERCY FIVE SESSIONS on Bluebird and the Shaw big band with 'Dodo' heard to advantage on "I'll Never Be The Same" and "No One But You", as well as "Summertime" are on double CD, THE INDISPENSIBLE ARTIE SHAW [RCA Jazz Tribute]. Items as a member of Slim Gaillard's group can be found on Charlie Parker's ORNITHOLOGY [Definitive] (the four with Bird, Diz and Jack McVea including "Slim's Jam" from December 29, 1945) and on SLIM GAILLARD 1945 [Classics] - two sessions from 1945 one with the famous 'Dunkin' Bagel", the other, originally on "4 Star" includes "Ya Ha Ha" and "Ding Dong Oreene". A pair done with Red Norvo on November 27, 1947 - "Bop" and "I'll Follow You" with Dexter Gordon on board, can be found on EL ROJO [Definitive]. 'Dodo' can be heard with the great [unsung] Lucky Thompson on ESQUIRE'S ALL-AMERICAN HOT JAZZ SESSIONS [Bluebird], "Just One More Chance", "From Dixieland To Be-Bop", "Boulevard Bounce" and "Boppin' The Blues" from April 22, 1947 and on LUCKY THOMPSON 1944-1947 [Classics] which has the same session plus a quartet session of September 13, 1946 that is also found on the aforementioned "Dodo's Bounce" CD. The October 18, 1946 session [four tracks] he did with a Howard McGhee sextet including a superb "Midnight at Minton's" shows up on a Teddy Edwards CD, STEADY WITH TEDDY (1946-1948) on Cool & Blue. A little over a month later, November 23, 1946, he did a fine quartet session under the leadership of one the great bebop tenormen, Wardell Gray - ONE FROM PREZ is on Black Lion while a Gene Norman Presents concert recorded April 28, 1947 in Pasadena, Ca. with Wardell, McGhee and Sonny Criss can be found on Criss' "California Boppin'" on Fresh Sound - extended versions of "Bebop", "Hot House" and, my favourite, "Groovin' High". Norman Granz' THE JAZZ SCENE [Verve] has two sides from October 15, 1946 that have 'Dodo' on piano, Ralph Burns' "Introspection" and George Handy's "The Bloos" - two takes of each are here. "Flight Of The Vout Bird" also appears on TOM TALBERT JAZZ ORCHESTRA 1946-1949 [Sea Breeze] and 'Dodo' is on a number of tracks in the excellent 4CD set BEBOP SPOKEN HERE [Proper Box].

Other CDs that list "Dodo" on them include: JUG AND DODO [OJC], Charlie Barnet COLLECTION [GRP], Tommy Dorsey CARNEGIE HALL V DISC [Hep] and Artie Shaw MIXED BAG [Musicmasters].

"Dodo' was a great, if somewhat forgotten, pianist and there's a wealth of great playing on these CDs - many hours of rewarding listening are ahead if you are just discovering this major talent. He is survived by his sisters, Doris Shepherd and Audrey Radinovic, both of Glenshaw, Pa. The funeral and burial were private.

Dobbin's Den 11am - 1pm, CKUT, 90.3 fm / www.ckut.ca