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Oren Marshall Interview

1 July 2009

Take it away caught up with Oren Marshall, the pioneering player of acoustic and electric tuba, who crosses classical, jazz, improvised, and world music genres. Oren has collaborated with the likes of Derek Bailey, Moondog, the Pan-African Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

How did you get started playing music?
I always loved music for as long as I can remember, so it felt very natural for me to sing and play a musical instrument.

What appealed to you about the tuba?
At first, not a lot! It's big and heavy and awkward to hold and carry. But as soon as I tried to play it I was hooked. It has such a beautiful, rich and deep sound. In the right hands the tuba can make people cry with laughter AND cry with melancholy. Played with rhythm and swing, it can lift people to dance and keep them dancing all night. It can spit and splutter and sing the blues and mix with any instrument from any culture one cares to mention. Suffice to say, it is quite simply one of the most versatile instruments on the planet. And one of the least understood.

Do you play any other instruments?
I play various African and Brazilian percussion instruments and recorder (my favourite is sopranino)

What is it about playing that you love?
Mainly the music but I also love meeting all kinds of people and learning about different cultures.

Who are your musical heroes / who would you love to play with?
Among many musical heroes for me are Miles Davis, Bismillah Khan, Carlos Paredes and Erik Satie. I'd love to play with Nana Vasconcelos and Bobby Mcferrin.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Try to always practice with love and be patient (so easy to say...)

 

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