Posted on October 1, 2004 at 10:20 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — A new CD produced by Ray Reach, instructor of music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and “Blue Lou” Marini of “The Blues Brothers” fame, was reviewed recently by www.AllAboutJazz.com.
The CD, “Lou’s Blues,” was released in February and features the Magic City Jazz Orchestra with Ray Reach on piano. The review touts the recording as “an exercise in ultra-modern composing, arranging and blowing” and calls it “… a remarkably inventive session.” It will “bring a smile to the face of many big-band enthusiasts … .”
Additionally, the Web site www.mp3.com gave the recording five stars, Reach said. “They gave us five stars overall, as well as five stars for each individual cut on the CD,” Reach said.
Most of the musicians in the Magic City Jazz Orchestra also play with SuperJazz (formerly UAB SuperJazz). SuperJazz was the first performing musical ensemble connected with UAB, Reach said. UAB jazz and music technology students assisted Reach with the production of the album. The CD can be purchased at many area outlets, including Laser's Edge, Tower Records, Virgin Records, Amazon.com, CD Baby and Barnes and Noble, Reach said.
As a practicing professional musician of more than 40 years, Reach lives an unusually diverse musical life. He has kept both feet firmly planted in two musical worlds, one in academia and the other in the world of professional music. As instructor of music in the UAB Department of Music, Reach is director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses in computer music, improvisation and the history of jazz.
Reach has taught music on elementary, secondary and college levels, in both the choral and instrumental fields. He holds five degrees in music: a Bachelor of Music in voice, a Bachelor of Music Education in piano, a Master of Music Education, a Master of Music in Composition and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition. He has attended Birmingham-Southern College, University of Montevallo, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, Harvard University, Indiana University and University of North Texas.
Lou Marini’s list of achievements spans a rich and diverse spectrum of both venue and genre. Marini was one of the original members of the Saturday Night Live Band, playing on the show from 1976 to 1983. A vivid memory for many veteran SNL audiences is Lou’s unforgettable saxophone solos at the open and close of each show, and of course his trademark long hair and funky mustache. In John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd’s 1980 cult classic “The Blues Brothers,” Marini played band member and saxophone soloist “Blue Lou.” Marini has performed in concerts and clinics for UAB and the Alys Stephens Center.