Biography
Simon Marrero belonged to a New Orleans jazz dynasty that included three other brothers. Their father, Billy Marrero, ranked among the first half-dozen bassists to realize the instrument could be plucked instead of only bowed. Although he attempted to steer every son toward the bass, Laurence Marrero and John Marrero instead chose the banjo. As the eldest brother on the instrument, Simon instructed his younger sibling Eddie Marrero and also gave lessons to other players, among them Al Morgan; yet these teaching duties never consumed his full schedule. He therefore sustained a recording career that stood alongside the achievements of Laurence, long regarded as the family’s most celebrated musician.
He recorded for leaders that included Papa Oscar Celestin and Dave Nelson. Discographies disagree on the precise bass instrument he used, with some scholars maintaining he employed only the brass bass—an all-metal contrabass noted for surviving assaults such as a drunk kicking its body. That choice may account for the occasional listings of him on tuba. Regardless of the final determination, the resulting blend of timbres remains appealing; within most musical contexts, a bassist whose tone evokes a tuba, or vice versa, constitutes an advantage. Consequently he never lacked engagements once other musicians heard him on bass, brass bass, or tuba. One stretch of his career found him with the Blue Rhythm Band in New York City, while in New Orleans he performed with the Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra.
He recorded for leaders that included Papa Oscar Celestin and Dave Nelson. Discographies disagree on the precise bass instrument he used, with some scholars maintaining he employed only the brass bass—an all-metal contrabass noted for surviving assaults such as a drunk kicking its body. That choice may account for the occasional listings of him on tuba. Regardless of the final determination, the resulting blend of timbres remains appealing; within most musical contexts, a bassist whose tone evokes a tuba, or vice versa, constitutes an advantage. Consequently he never lacked engagements once other musicians heard him on bass, brass bass, or tuba. One stretch of his career found him with the Blue Rhythm Band in New York City, while in New Orleans he performed with the Original Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra.
Singles
