Marlon Simon Re-releases his First Album: “The Music of Marlon Simon and The Nagual Spirits”

The Music of Marlon Simon and The Nagual Spirits

This was the first venture of educator, drummer, percussionist and composer Marlon Simon as a leader, back in 1998. This album features a very select group of artists, most of them already bandleaders in their own right at that time. Bobby Watson, Jerry González, Brian Lynch, Edward Simon, John Stubblefield, John Benítez, Joe Santiago. All of them contributed to create a memorable recording, working together with Marlon Simon to take his musical ideas to a higher level. Out of print for many years, The Music of Marlon Simon gets a second life 22 years after its initial release. A sought after album for collectors, fans of Jazz and Latin jazz now have the opportunity to get and keep this true masterpiece. After all these years, The Music of Marlon Simon sounds as fresh and hip as if it had been recently recorded. This is intelligent music, relevant in times of uncertainty and is certainly music for the soul and for the senses, soothing and uplifting at the same time. We hear lately of deep listening experiences, something we have forgotten to practice. Take this recording, play it back out loud, sit down on a comfortable chair and get involved. Get yourself into the music in a state of relaxation that allows you to enjoy and give pleasure to your brain in the way the composer and the interpreters intended to transmit to the listeners.
– Danilo Navas, latinjazznet.com founder, webmaster and editor

Where to buy The Music of Marlon Simon

• Visit Marlon Simon’s official website: https://marlonsimon.com/online-store
• Offered on CD format and/or electronic download in high-quality WAV format
• Method of payment: PayPal. Pay with your PayPal account or debit/credit card
• Support independent artists buying their music directly from them

Marlon Simon thoughts on The Music of Marlon Simon

“As I recall it was twenty two years ago that I was approached by Dennis Sheppard, who was the K-Jazz executive producer at that time. He was very familiar with my work as a sideman for other artists on his label – especially my work with the late bassist Charles Fambrough. I guess Dennis must have liked the work I was doing. He surprised me with a question: “Marlon, why don’t you do your own record?” Honestly, I had not thought of doing a record at that time. But I felt it would be a good opportunity for me to expose my work as a percussionist, drummer and composer. However, I was not known as a leader, which was an obstacle in the music industry at that time, so I thought maybe I should get some recognized band leaders whom I’d worked with, to come and help me get my name out there. Then I thought about featuring my mentors, Bobby Watson [former musical director with the Art Blakey Jazz Messengers]; Brian Lynch, a well known trumpet player on both fields, Latin and Jazz; Jerry González, who was – to me – among the best conga players in the world with his unique groove and style, pulling with him the long time tenor player with The Fort Apache Band, John Stubblefield; and of course my brother, pianist Edward Simon, was there to back me up with his exceptional pianism. They all brought a great enthusiasm to help me out on my first venture as a leader and this is the result. A repertoire that sounds as fresh today as it did 22 years ago; with great soloists that offer a kind of intensity without getting too loud. This recording has been out of print for more than fifteen years! It was the seed that gave birth to my band, The Nagual Spirits.” – Educator, Drummer, Percussionist, Composer Marlon Simon

Writer Raul Da Gama reviews The Music of Marlon Simon

“Not surprisingly this album came to be titled The Music of Marlon Simon, because the repertoire, in fact, served to launch Mr Simon’s voice not only as the great drummer and percussion colourist that he was, but also as a formidable composer. Naturally seven of ten songs in the repertoire of the album come from the pen of Mr Simon. However, saying that Mr Simon composes with a pen, does not give the whole picture. Indeed this music – which swings with unbridled energy as in “Root Medley”, and unfurls seemingly suspended in time, as in the bittersweet melodicism of “Hard Times with Nena” – appears to come directly from the raw nerve endings of its composer.

Moreover, Mr Simon employs a vast palette of colours, daubed and woven into a wondrous canvas and that too, expressed in a myriad textures on a battery of percussion from the drum set and bàtás to timbales and assorted percussion. All of this forms a veritable symphonic, albeit rhythmic soundscape upon which the music ultimately casts its impressive image. With a celestial cast in orbit around Mr Simon’s sinewy rhythms, the music is exquisitely performed, with idiomatic soli from each of the stars who have interiorised this music to perfection.” Read full review.
– Album Review by Raul Da Gama for latinjazznet.com

Tracks – Para Pucho [6:07]; 2. Little Stars [4:36]; 3. Mi Niña [5:09]; 4. Root Medley [5:48]; 5. Dance of the Infidels [8:11]; 6. Remembrance [6:17]; 7. Como Fué [4:33]; 8. Blues pa’ Changuito [5:37]; 9. Hard Times with Nena [5:59]; 10. Heidi [5:38].

Personnel – Marlon Simon: drum set, batá drums, timbales, percussion; Edward Simon: piano; Joe Santiago: bass; John Benítez: bass; John Stubblefield: tenor saxophone; Bobby Watson: alto saxophone and soprano saxophone on track 2; Brian Lynch: trumpet, flugelhorn; Jerry González: congas.

Year of Release: 1999
Record Label: K-Jazz Productions
Runtime – 57:39
Composed and Produced by Marlon Simon

For more information please contact

Marlon Simon [marlonsi@live.com]
Simon Rhythmic Productions
1-915-234-9346

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