Marx, Siegel and Esposito

JEFF MARX - SAXOPHONES

Jeff Marx Bio:
David Franklin observes in the Jazz Times, “Marx can improvise extraordinary post-Coltrane hard bop/modal choruses, but often chooses to break out of the mold and open up his solos with techniques appropriated from the world of free jazz, including a flexible sense of time.”
Born and raised in Detroit, tenor saxophonist Jeff Marx began playing the tenor in 1973. He lists his early influences as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
In the '70's Marx moved to Berkeley California to study with Hal Stein. He played sessions and gigs in Oakland and San Francisco with Eddie Henderson and Mark Levine among others.
Marx subsequently resided for 14 years in New York City for where he played with Reggie Workman, Steve Slagle, Kevin McNeil, Donald Byrd, Ed Schuler, Jim Pepper, Gene Jackson, Ira Coleman, Santi DeBriano and Dave Stryker among others.
For five years, he played in and composed for Second Sight with John Esposito, Jeff Siegel and Dave Douglas, recording two CDs, Flying With The Comet and Tiger Tracks, both on Sunjump Records. He appeared at various colleges, NYC clubs, the Greenwich Village Jazz Festival and live on Columbia University’s WKCR. He played in the Cascais Portugal Jazz Fest and throughout Europe as a soloist. He was chosen to play for the National Public Radio memorial program for his colleague Jim Pepper.
Moving to Chicago in 1993 Chicago, Marx continued to work in New York while establishing himself on the Midwest Jazz scene, appearing in Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Little Rock, Milwaukee and Ann Arbor playing clubs, concert venues and festivals including Ravinia, and the Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival in 2002 and 2003. He worked with Fred Anderson, Harrison Bankhead, Reuben Hoch's Chassidic Jazz Project, and Elbio Barilari, and performed at Chicago venues including, Millenium Park, the Velvet Lounge, Pete Miller’s, the Green Mill and at
Satalla, NYC. In 1999 Jeff recorded on Reaching For A Star by Don Bennett, which featured Malachi Thompson, Jesse Davis, and Harrison Bankhead.
In 2000 he organized a band with pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, bassist Santi Debriano and drummer Jeff Siegel for his first outing as a leader, Great Unknown on his own Naugual label.
He recorded his second CD as a leader Treading Air Breathing Fire (2003 Soluna Records)with John Esposito, piano, Ira Coleman, bass and Peter O’Brien, drums and featured several
Marx compositions. Allaboutjazz reviewer Celeste Sunderland wrote that Treading Air Breathing Fire “….ponders metaphysical relations on an immense scale....while Marx wildly churns out vibrantly diverse streams of notes.”
In 2006 Jeff recorded a duo CD with drummer Jeff "Siege" Siegel entitled Dreamstuff followed by a 2008 tour of Germany and the Czech Republic with Siegel and bassist Jaromir Honzak. Stuart Kremsky in Cadence described Marx’s playing as “.....varying his sound from rich and burred in the lower registers to shrill but controlled in the upper range, all the while having a vigorous give and take with Siegel....clearly enunciating (his) immersion in the Jazz tradition and (his) commitment to move the music forward.”
Marx returned to Chicago in November 2008 to perform the music of Kahil Elzabar and Elbio Barilari at the Morse Theater on Presidential Inauguration evening, with an all star group of Chicago's best musicians.
A continuation of his work with drummer Jeff Siegel with the addition of pianist John Esposito resulted in the release of Inyo (2009 Sunjump) a CD that “......could best be described as unquiet meditations or chaotic lyricism.... a true moment of musical Zen created by three masterful musicians......saxophonist Jeff Marx takes some bold flights on the saxophone, ” wrote Jakob Baekgaard in allaboutjazz.com.

JEFF "SIEGE" SIEGEL - DRUMS

Drummer/Composer Jeff “Siege” Siegel is a veteran of the New York Jazz Scene and has worked with a virtual “who’s who” of artists. Jeff's New York City career began as a sideman in the quartet of multi-instrumentalist Arthur Rhames from 1980-1983. After leading his own group in the interim, The Brooklyn Jazz Quartet, he joined the group "Second Sight" featuring John Esposito and Dave Douglas from 1986-1992. He also began a 20 year partnership with Michael Jefry Stevens and Tim Ferguson in the group Stevens, Siegel and Ferguson. Other groups he co-led included The New York Trio Project (with Adam Rafferty) and Czech/US Out featuring Czech bassist Jaromir Honzak. A member of the Sir Roland Hanna Trio from1994-‘99, Siegel’s diverse career has also led him to perform and/or record with legends such as Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Jack DeJohnette, Benny Golson, Frank Foster, Shiela Jordan, Helen Merrill, Mose Allison, Lee Shaw and many more. He has also performed and/or recorded with the younger generation of musicians such as Dave Douglas, John Medeski, Stefon Harris, K