Marius Kahan
Encyclopedia
Marius Kahan is a crossover jazz
/funk
/Latin
electric violin
ist and composer.
Classically trained at Trinity College, London, he was attracted, via progressive rock
, to jazz
at a time when notable figures of the genre were developing new means of expression through the use of electric instruments, as well as rock
, funk
and Latin
rhythms.
Key influences on his direction included acclaimed violin maestro Jean-Luc Ponty
, Santana
, Herbie Hancock
, Chick Corea
and Frank Zappa
.
In 1982 he formed the acid jazz
group Shinara with guitarist Richard Scarfe, recording extensively into the mid-1980s. Their blend of jazz, rock, funk and Latin beats mixed with violin, rock-influenced guitar and vibes was well received by audiences, but their sole self-released album The View From Here failed to grab the attention of London record companies.
A promotional trip to the U.S. yielded a management deal with L.A. based Lee Magid
, a veteran agent of numerous singers and notably, violinist Papa John Creach
, formerly of Jefferson Airplane
. Kahan’s personal circumstances prevented early progress, while later, suffering ill health, Magid was unable to continue actively promoting an artist half-way across the globe, and the contract was dissolved.
While broad commercial success eluded Kahan throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his recordings led to live and session work, a handful of soundtrack commissions and some production jobs. The rest of his time was divided between teaching music in schools and running courses in studio techniques and the music industry at further education colleges.
In 1998, the owner of independent label DJC heard the rough cuts for an album project Kahan had been working on and a deal was struck which led to the release of his debut CD, Tomorrow’s Memories. It featured prominent players from London’s session scene and attracted critical acclaim, enjoying extensive airplay on 102.2 Jazz FM
and Solar Radio in the UK, as well as being playlisted as far afield as Moscow
and Budapest
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
/Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
electric violin
Electric violin
An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument purposely made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body...
ist and composer.
Classically trained at Trinity College, London, he was attracted, via progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
at a time when notable figures of the genre were developing new means of expression through the use of electric instruments, as well as rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
rhythms.
Key influences on his direction included acclaimed violin maestro Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...
, Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
.
In 1982 he formed the acid jazz
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
group Shinara with guitarist Richard Scarfe, recording extensively into the mid-1980s. Their blend of jazz, rock, funk and Latin beats mixed with violin, rock-influenced guitar and vibes was well received by audiences, but their sole self-released album The View From Here failed to grab the attention of London record companies.
A promotional trip to the U.S. yielded a management deal with L.A. based Lee Magid
Lee Magid
Lee Magid was a Rhythm and blues producer and manager who worked with artists such as Clara Ward, Al Hibbler, and Della Reese.- Overview :...
, a veteran agent of numerous singers and notably, violinist Papa John Creach
Papa John Creach
Papa John Creach played for Jefferson Airplane , Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation, the San Francisco All-Stars , The Dinosaurs , and Steve Taylor...
, formerly of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
. Kahan’s personal circumstances prevented early progress, while later, suffering ill health, Magid was unable to continue actively promoting an artist half-way across the globe, and the contract was dissolved.
While broad commercial success eluded Kahan throughout the 1980s and 1990s, his recordings led to live and session work, a handful of soundtrack commissions and some production jobs. The rest of his time was divided between teaching music in schools and running courses in studio techniques and the music industry at further education colleges.
In 1998, the owner of independent label DJC heard the rough cuts for an album project Kahan had been working on and a deal was struck which led to the release of his debut CD, Tomorrow’s Memories. It featured prominent players from London’s session scene and attracted critical acclaim, enjoying extensive airplay on 102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM
102.2 Jazz FM was a local jazz and soul music station for London run by GMG Radio. The station was based and broadcast from Castlereagh Street in London to around 15.5 million people within the broadcasting area...
and Solar Radio in the UK, as well as being playlisted as far afield as Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
External links
- http://music.podshow.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=203f7c36f806111a6683909606331784
- http://www.myspace.com/mariuskahan