MARTY EHRLICH

The artist maintains his/her own homepage: www.martyehrlich.com

Marty Ehrlich's involvement with creative music began when he was a young man in St. Louis, Missouri. He performed on his first album with the Human Arts Ensemble, "Under The Sun" (1972), while still in high school. Exposure to the midwestern musicians of BAG and the AACM helped to develop his vision as an improviser. His versatility and fluency in many contemporary styles has led to collaborations with two generations of creative musicians.

Leaving St. Louis, Marty attended the New England Conservatory of Music as an Afro-American Music major. He studied and performed with Jaki Byard, George Russell, Gunther Schuller, and Ran Blake, graduating with honors in 1977. While in Boston he also began close collaborations with guitarists Michael Gregory Jackson and Jerome Harris, and saxophonist Stan Strickland.

Since coming to New York in 1978, Marty Ehrlich's abilities as an improviser and as a multi-reed player have been in great demand. He has performed across America and Europe with a distinguished array of composer's ensembles: Muhal Richard Abrams, Barry Altschul, Anthony Braxton, John Carter, Anthony Davis, Jack DeJohnette, Don Grolnick, Friedrich Gulda, Chico Hamilton, Jerome Harris, Mark Helias, Julius Hemphill, Robin Holcomb, Lindsey Horner, Wayne Horvitz, Leroy Jenkins, Oliver Lake, John Lindberg, Butch Morris, Bobby Previte, George Russell, Leo Smith, Rod Williams, John Zorn.

In recent years, Marty Ehrlich's endeavors as a composer and ensemble leader have come to the fore. His performances have received critical acclaim across America and Europe. In 1985, he recorded his first album as a leader, "The Welcome", featuring a trio with Anthony Cox and Pheeroan AkLaff. Three more albums, "Pliant Plaint", "The Traveller's Tale", and "Can You Hear A Motion?", present Marty's music in a much-admired quartet setting with fellow-saxophonist Stan Strickland. In 1991, he recorded "Side By Side" with an all-star quintet featuring Frank Lacy (tb), Wayne Horvitz (p), Anthony Cox (b) and Andrew Cyrille (dr). Marty Ehrlich also features his music with the Emergency Peace Ensemble and the New York Composers Orchestra.

"If jazz polls had recognized the long-obvious need for a multi-instrumentalist category, Marty Ehrlich would no doubt be a poll winner by now", Bob Blumenthal wrote in 1988. Besides playing clarinet and alto sax, Marty has shown his inventiveness and virtuosity also on soprano and tenor sax, bass clarinet and flutes. In 1993, he won the Down Beat Critics Poll as Talent Deserving Wider Recognition on clarinet.

1999 release: ENJ-9341 2 Relativity

Selected sideman discography:

(ENJ-6014 22) Klaus König - Times Of Devastation
(ENJ-6016 2) Mark Helias - Desert Blue
(ENJ-6082 2) Bobby Previte - Weather Clear Track Fast
(ENJ-8050 2) Mike Formanek - Low Profile
(ENJ-8064 2) Bobby Previte - Hue And Cry