Steve Marcus

Tenor saxophonist Steve "The Count" Marcus was a pioneering force behind the emergence of what would eventually become known as fusion. Born in New York City on September 18, 1939, Marcus initially desired to play guitar, but when he couldn't find a teacher, he adopted the clarinet instead and finally moved to saxophone at age 15. He was a student at the Berklee School of Music in 1962 when Stan Kenton came to Boston for a gig. When Kenton's tenor saxophonist, Charlie Mariano, skipped rehearsal to visit his family, Marcus sat in and six weeks later was given the gig full time. Kenton dissolved the band in late 1963 and from there Marcus worked with Woody Herman and Gary Burton, additionally fronting his own bands. In 1966 Marcus teamed Herbie Mann at the beginning of the flautist's experiments with rock rhythms and ethnic music. A year later, he partnered with guitarist Larry Coryell in the Count's Rock Band and cut the 1968 Mann-produced, jazz-rock landmark Tomorrow Never Knows. Deemed a sellout in many quarters upon its release, the record is today a cult classic that represents one of the first and most successful marriages of jazz and psychedelia. In 1969, Marcus and Coryell reunited in Foreplay, a precursor to their subsequent fusion project Eleventh House, and in 1970 Marcus toured Japan with the experimental guitarist Sonny Sharrock. He joined the Buddy Rich Big Band in 1975, and served alongside Rich until the drummer's 1987 death. At Marcus' urging, Rich embraced rock and electronics, a progression that helped the group remain relevant at a time when most big bands were forced to dissolve. After Rich's death, Marcus took the reins of the band, and in 1999, teamed with fellow alumni to record the LP Buddy's Buddies. The following year, he and Coryell joined yet again, this time as the Count's Jam Band. Marcus died in New Hope, Pennsylvania on September 25, 2005. ~ Jason Ankeny