Marky Markowitz


Irvin "Marky" Markowitz was an American jazz trumpeter.
Born the youngest of seven children of Russian-Jewish immigrants who disembarked in Baltimore, and settled on 4 1/2 Street, Southwest, in Washington, D.C., Markowitz learned the trumpet at the local Police Boys' Club. He played early in his career in a number of big bands, including those of Charlie Spivak, Jimmy Dorsey, Boyd Raeburn, and Woody Herman. He played in Buddy Rich's orchestra in 1946-47, then returned to service under Herman in 1947-48. Moving his family from Washington, D.C. to New York in 1958, and eventually settling in Nyack, he worked primarily as a studio musician in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Some live appearances included work with Herman, Gene Krupa, Lee Konitz, Ralph Burns, George Russell, Al Cohn, Paul Desmond, and Bill Evans. Marky was a "first call" trumpeter for many top artists of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, including Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, the Young Rascals, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Maynard Ferguson, George Segal, and many others, as well as hundreds of advertising "jingles", TV ads and movie scores. He was a perennial on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy, and known for a "sweet" tone on the trumpet and flugelhorn, as well as a better-than-average vocal impression of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, which was featured on a 1970s TV commercial for Hecker's Flour. In January 1985, just the year before his death at age 62, Marky returned to his hometown of Washington, D.C. to perform with an All-Star band, led by famed composer/arranger Nelson Riddle, at the Inaugural Ball for President Ronald Reagan's 2nd term. He led only one recording session, for Harry Lim's Famous Door label in 1976.

Discography

With David Amram
With Burt Bacharach/Dionne Warwick
With Richard Barbary
With Gato Barbieri
With Louie Bellson
With Tony Bennett
With Sonny Berman
With Brasilia Nueva
With Bob Brookmeyer
With Solomon Burke
With Ralph Burns
With Paul Butterfield
With Emmett Carls / Lennie Tristano
With Barbara Carroll
With Chris Connor
With King Curtis
With Paul Desmond
With Neil Diamond
With Bo Diddley
With Duke Ellington
With Bill Evans
With Maynard Ferguson
With Astrud Gilberto
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Grant Green
With Bobby Hebb
With Woody Herman
With Tommy James and the Shondells
With Tamiko Jones
With Ben E. King
With Lee Konitz
With Gene Krupa
With The Manhattan Transfer
With Herbie Mann
With Jackie McLean
With Carmen McRae
With Butch Miles
With Blue Mitchell
With Hugo Montenegro
With James Moody
With Claus Ogerman Orchestra
With Felix Pappalardi
With Bill Potts
With Tito Puente
With Buddy Rich
With Lalo Schifrin
With George Segal
With Bobby Short
With Paul Simon
With Zoot Sims
With Jimmy Smith
With Howard Tate
With Joe Thomas
With Joe Timer and Charles Mingus
With Leslie Uggams
With Frankie Valli
With Loudon Wainwright III
With Grover Washington Jr.
With Kai Winding