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Dodo Marmarosa

Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa (December 12, 1925 – September 17, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

Originating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Marmarosa became a professional musician in his mid-teens, and toured with several major big bands, including those led by Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Artie Shaw into the mid-1940s. He moved to Los Angeles in 1945, where he became increasingly interested and involved in the emerging bebop scene. During his time on the West Coast, he recorded in small groups with leading bebop and swing musicians, including Howard McGhee, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young, as well as leading his own bands.

Marmarosa returned to Pittsburgh due to health reasons in 1948. He began performing much less frequently, and had a presence only locally for around a decade. Friends and fellow musicians had commented from an early stage that Marmarosa was an unusual character. His mental stability was probably affected by being beaten into a coma when in his teens, by a short-lived marriage followed by permanent separation from his children, and by a traumatic period in the army. He made comeback recordings in the early 1960s, but soon retreated to Pittsburgh, where he played occasionally into the early 1970s. From then until his death three decades later, he lived with family and in veterans' hospitals.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 12, 1925 (Pittsburgh), Died September 17, 2002 (Pittsburgh)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1943 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: piano

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 30 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor D5VB-1102 10-in. 7/31/1945 Scuttlebutt Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw Jazz/dance sextet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D5VB-1103 10-in. 8/2/1945 The gentle grifter Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw Jazz/dance sextet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D5VB-1104 10-in. 8/2/1945 Mysterioso Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw Jazz/dance sextet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D5VB-1105 10-in. 8/2/1945 Hop, skip and jump Gramercy Five ; Artie Shaw Jazz/dance sextet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D7VB-0511 10-in. 4/22/1947 From dixieland to be-bop (or Condon meets Gillespie) Lucky Seven (Lucky Thompson) ; Lucky Thompson Jazz/dance octet instrumentalist, piano  
Victor D7VB-0513 10-in. 4/22/1947 Boppin' the blues Lucky Seven (Lucky Thompson) ; Lucky Thompson Jazz/dance octet instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71460 10-in. 10/20/1943 Strollin' Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71461 10-in. 10/20/1943 The moose Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71462 10-in. 10/20/1943 Pow-wow (Redskin rhumba) Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71463 10-in. 10/20/1943 Sittin' home waitin' for you Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71794 2/23/1944 In there Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71795 10-in. 2/23/1944 Saltin' away my sweet dreams Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71796 10-in. 2/23/1944 Baby won't you please come home Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71797 2/23/1944 The great lie Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71798 10-in. 2/24/1944 My heart isn't in it Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71799 10-in. 2/24/1944 Drop me off in Harlem Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71800 10-in. 2/24/1944 Gulf Coast blues Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 71801 10-in. 2/24/1944 Flat top flip hiss lid Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 72450 10-in. 10/17/1944 Into each life some pain must fall Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 72451 10-in. 10/17/1944 You always hurt the one you love Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 72452 10-in. 10/17/1944 West End blues Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca 72453 10-in. 10/17/1944 Desert sands Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca L 3487 10-in. 8/3/1944 Skyliner Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
Decca L 3488 10-in. 8/3/1944 Sharecroppin' blues Charlie Barnet Orchestra ; Kay Starr instrumentalist, piano  
Decca L 3489 10-in. 8/3/1944 Come out, come out, wherever you are Charlie Barnet Orchestra instrumentalist, piano  
(Results 1-25 of 30 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Marmarosa, Dodo," accessed April 16, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/329797.

Marmarosa, Dodo. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/329797.

"Marmarosa, Dodo." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 16 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/329797

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