GRAMMY-WINNING SAX PLAYER ERIC MARIENTHAL JOINS LAO TIZER QUARTET AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE

March 20, 2019

Williamstown, Massachusetts—Jazz Group of the Year nominee The Lao Tizer Quartet, featuring Grammy-winning sax legend Eric Marienthal, performs at the Clark Art Institute on Friday, April 5 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $33 ($28 members, $20 students) and may be purchased online at clarkart.edu or by calling the box office at 413 458 0524.
The Lao Tizer Quartet, whose recent CD/DVD combo Songs from the Swinghouse has been on the Billboard Jazz Top 10 list, is led by pianist, keyboardist, composer, and former Best New Jazz Artist nominee Lao Tizer. The quartet also features Marienthal, Grammy-nominated drummer Gene Coye, and Senegalese bassist Cheikh N’Doye.
Songs from the Swinghouse is “a robust mix of originals and covers that incorporates grooves from across the musical spectrum” (JAZZIZ Magazine) and “an enthralling listen” (5 Finger Review).

About The Lao Tizer Band

With more than five years since their last release, The Lao Tizer Band is now an updated, larger band exploring new methods. Songs from the Swinghouse, recorded live in just three days at Conway Studios in Hollywood, includes three cover tunes with a vocalist—a first for the group— alongside original instrumental tracks, bringing them to new heights of excellence and exuberance.

Featuring a thoughtful and at times surprising choice of tracks, while adding to an already stellar lineup of players with the addition of a seasoned vocalist, the album sets a new path for the band and its dedicated fans. Songs from the Swinghouse features eight blistering original instrumentals and three iconic classic rock songs with reimagined arrangements. “We’ve never done anything with a vocalist and we’ve never done any cover songs, so this is the first time I decided to delve into that realm, to basically expand the scope of our music,” says Tizer.

About Eric Marienthal

After studying at the Berklee College of Music with legendary saxophone professor Joe Viola, Eric Marienthal started his professional career in 1980 with famed New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt. He later became a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band, recording six CDs and winning two Grammy Awards. Marienthal went on to perform with artists such as Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Lou Rawls, B.B. King, Patti Labelle, and many others. He has performed in more than seventy-five countries, recorded fourteen solo CDs, and played on hundreds of records, films, television shows, and commercial jingles.

Eight of the songs Marienthal has recorded have made it to the Top 10 of the National Contemporary Jazz Radio Charts and three have made it to number one. His latest solo CD, Bridges, was recorded on Peak Records.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm; open daily in July and August. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; EBT Card to Culture; and Blue Star Museums. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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