MarshaHeydt.com Reviews

Marsha Heydt, a member of Local 802 since 2004, grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Allentown, in rural Pennsylvania.

As a youngster, Heydt studied piano, sax, flute, clarinet, voice and guitar. Each year she was selected to participate in district and countywide festivals and played with local rock bands in high school. When she saw Phil Woods perform in nearby Reading, Penn., she knew that saxophone was what she would pursue in life.

Her music spans the gamut of Latin, funk, jazz, and rock. She has performed with Grover Washington, Bill Watrous, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, John Stubblefield and with Paul Shaffer in a guest appearance on the David Letterman show.

In and around New York City, Marsha plays with her own ensemble, performing in both private and public venues. She also performs each month for recovering patients at NYU Hospital’s Rusk Institute.

Marsha works as a teaching artist for the Midori & Friends Foundation, where teachers won a Local 802 contract in 2002. (Marsha was on one of the negotiating committees.)

Her latest CD is "One Night" (2007), a mix of originals and standards. She has a busy performance schedule; her next date is at the Garage on Jan. 8 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Todd Bryant Weeks: I want to start with the story that you told me about your unscheduled appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" because it’s intriguing, and it’s also kind of silly.

Marsha Heydt: I was working at Sam Ash Music on West 48th, in the brass and woodwind store. And at that time I had been working there for about three years. And one afternoon these TV cameras appeared out in front. We didn’t know exactly what they were doing, but they were walking around, asking people "Could you say hello to David?" And everyone was kind of freaked out. So I asked "David who?" And they held up this black box and said, "David Letterman." And so I said, "Hello, David." I had a soprano sax in my hand, and I tried to explain that it was the smallest instrument in the saxophone family. And the voice asked me if I played the saxophone, and I said I did. And the box proceeded to ask me if I would like to come on Late Night and play, and I said, "Sure." I’d played in a lot of different settings; I figured I could handle it. Funny thing is, that turned out to be my first union gig.

TBW: As an improvising musician, do you think it’s been more difficult for you as a woman than if you were a guy?

Heydt: I have always had to be very up on my game. Sexism is not as bad now as when I started, but it exists. Overall, I’ve worked with some really great people and I’ve learned a lot about my craft from both men and women.

Heydt: For ten years. I’m very serious about what I’m doing with my own music. And my own sound. Nowadays I’m calling the group Marsha Heydt and the Project of Love. Because we collaborate, and everyone contributes.

Heydt: Well, first of all, my last name is "Heydt" [pronounced "hate"]. And being a teaching artist in New York City, I have to go under "Miss Marsha," instead of "Miss Heydt." Because children tend to pick up on that word.

Heydt: When I was ten years old, I wanted to play flute or clarinet, but my mother wanted me to play the saxophone. She wanted me to play the "Yakety Sax."

Heydt: Well, yes. But it was inspired by the British comedian, Benny Hill. His show had a "Yakety Sax" theme to it. I still don’t play that tune. I remember my sister having friends over, and I’d be in my room practicing, and they would whisper, "What is she doing in there?" And my sister would say, "I don’t know. She sounds like a dying cow." ‘Cause I grew up in the country, see?

TBW: You actually know what a dying cow sounds like. You came to New York to be a musician?

Heydt: Yes, I went to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in performing jazz saxophone. I moved out to California, but I didn’t really feel like that’s where I wanted to plant myself. And I got in touch with an old college roommate, and I bought a one way ticket, and moved into her apartment up in the Bronx.

Heydt: That was in 1992. I started calling up all the music stores on 48th Street and asking, "Are you hiring, do you need help?" And I called up Sam Ash and somebody said "Yeah, we’re hiring."

Heydt: I worked there for seven years. At the same time I got introduced to the Merengue circuit. I was playing tenor.

Heydt: They were clubs. And I was usually not understanding anything that was going on, because I didn’t speak the language. The only thing I had to know, really, was when to go up and play. And when to stop. I communicated mostly in sign language. Later I got my master’s at the Aaron Copeland Music School. I studied arranging with Roland Hanna.

Heydt: I’ve worked there for seven years. I was on the negotiating committee.

TBW: You’ve always struck me as someone who is fairly outspoken when it came to getting your rights.

Heydt: Well, quite simply, you have to fight for what you want. As an artist and as a musician, I‘ve found that people will just try and walk all over you; expect you to work practically for free. There is no other industry where somebody comes in and says, "Thanks for your time. Here, you want a cookie? Here you go, see you later."

TBW: Most people in the jazz field are not unionized. Why is union membership important to you?

Heydt: Well, some of the guys in my band are non-union. And I’ve told them what it is I’m getting from membership. Besides helping with the job security and benefits, there’s just the camaraderie there. You can always find someone if you’re seeking some type of information. Plus this is a national thing; there are locals in every state. There are some other educational companies that I work for where I have discussed the issue of going union, and I find that musicians are very scared.

Heydt: But going to staff meetings and hearing some of their issues, I want to say "If we were union, we wouldn’t be having these issues."

Heydt: I grew up in the 1970’s, so I was listening to Grover Washington. And at that time I was studying with John Blake; he’s a jazz violinist from Philadelphia. Of course, I still listen to Miles, and Charlie Parker and David Sanborn.

Heydt: Getting ready. My goal for 2010 was to write 20 originals. I wrote ten.

Heydt: Both. The song "One Night," it’s silly to say, but it came to me "one night." I live over in Long Island City, where I can see the Manhattan skyline. I have this Indian flute, and I just go up on the roof and start playing. I’ll be up there, feeling the energy of the city, especially at night; the lights, the Empire State Building, the Queensborough Bridge. The number 7 train going by. It’s heaven.

TBW: You strike me as somebody who has always been able to put your best foot forward and start again if things don’t go your way.

Heydt: If I’m teaching or playing, to me the most important thing is if I can touch one person. That means a whole lot.

Heydt: Working with Midori & Friends, the foundation will sometimes get contracts that are in difficult areas. I taught in a school over in Weeksville, in Brooklyn, which is a very interesting place.

TBW: One of the oldest African American communities on the East Coast, I believe.

Heydt: Underground Railroad stop. Hillary Clinton visited there a couple years ago. That was really something. But a lot of people who live there are Section 8, and the schools are not good. I was teaching 6- and 7-year old children, and they were coming from crack addicted parents. For them, music was one of the only ways they could express themselves. And feel an emotion of love. Instead of just rage and frustration.

TBW: Before I forget, tell me how that Letterman gig went down? Did you end up playing on the show?

Heydt: I did. Once I agreed to go on the show, the camera crew said "OK, you have to come up here right now." So, I grabbed my saxophone and my bag. The next thing I knew, I was running through the streets with this woman who had a stopwatch in her hand. We made it to the Ed Sullivan Theater. So, as I’m panting, trying to get my breath, suddenly she says, "OK, go!" And then a door opened up, and I was running right into the house, which was filled with a live audience.

Heydt: Nope. They had me go right up on stage and Paul Shaffer greeted me and the band said hello.

Heydt: Paul asked me what would I like to play. And I said "Let’s play the blues." He said ‘Which blues?" And I said, "Let’s do ‘Straight No Chaser.’" So, after they did the Top Ten, I soloed on that tune. Throughout the show, David had me doing patter with Paul and the band, they had me playing on the commercial breaks. Then David interviewed me, asking me where I was from and all that.

Heydt: I watched it with my girlfriends and we were like, "Oh, my God." Because when something happens to you so spontaneously – I mean, yikes. And when the broadcast was over, the phone started ringing. My girlfriends called – my dentist called – I even got international long-distance calls from strangers. My mother had already called everybody under the sun, you see.

TBW: I saw it on YouTube and you seemed very calm under fire, a lot of poise.

The joy of jazz and indie record making lies in the artist's ability to do it all, to explore numerous styles without fear of reprisal from corporate entities more concerned with commercialism than art. Veteran New York saxophonist Marsha Heydt's colorful résumé boasts gigs over the years with Randy Brecker, Grover Washington, Jr., Bob Mintzer, and Bill Watrous, in addition to an appearance on the most prestigious Big Apple gig of all, the David Letterman Show. Her eclectic debut perfectly displays this range of traditional, contemporary, and Latin jazz, but in a more personal way, via a mix of bright originals and cool covers; yes, you've heard "Mercy Mercy Mercy" a million times, but Heydt still makes it a bubbly, old-school, soul-jazz good time. She is all over the map, but the travelogue is a blast, even if she saves her most adventurous groove for last on the South African flavored "Afrikaan." Her danceable, salsified opener lives up to its name "Good Feelin'," boasting some playful duet action with trumpeter Todd Schwartz over the hypnotic piano of Norman Pors. And just when you think it's a Latin jazz date, Heydt picks up her lovely flute and breezes through a tropical version of "Green Dolphin Street," and then digs deep into bluesy territory on a moody run through "You Don't Know What Love Is." The rest of the set is equally unpredictable and engaging, from her pop-influenced originals "One Night" and the dreamy vocal "I Want You to Know" (sung by Carla Cook), to a romp through Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses" and a classically tinged take on Alex North's haunting "Spartacus Love Theme." Purists who think Heydt is a bit too poppy can enjoy the saxophonist's trad jazz chops galore on a swinging roll through Thelonious Monk's "Well U Needn't."

A variety of styles of music makes the CD definitely worth listening to. This is very true with Marsha Heydt’s CD entitled One Night. The CD starts out with Heydt’s own composition Good Feeling. Which shows her groove of a Latin beat. Dueling on both flute and sax, Marsha demonstrates excellent tones on the song Green Dolphin St.The song One Night, track 4 is my favorite tune. It does have that Grover Washington sound that she describes in her linear notes. Very 70’s.Her solos on this are melodic yet tasteful. Nice groove on Joe Zawinul’s Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. The drummer and bass player play very together without having a lot of added features.

This whole CD is very laid back. This is a perfect CD for Sunday, by the pool or even listening in your favorite easy chair. You could say its smooth jazz at its finest. Again you will be delighted with the selection her music. It is mixed very well, with a slow tune then a fast then another slow. Her ballads have wonderful soothing strings. Heydt plays deep from her heart. She even plays a great rendition of Georgia on my Mind. The instrumental original tune that is called I Want to Know. Has again great melody, good passing chords with great solos. I give this 3 out of 5 on my Jazz-o-meter.

Sax Shed

By Skip Spratt

Marsha Heydt has been living and working around New York City for the past two decades. Following her tenure at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a brief stint in Los Angeles, Heydt settled in New York. She has now released her first Cd One Night on Blue Toucan Music.

One Night features Marsha Heydt and her ensemble on 13 tracks, many of which have a decidedly Latin and Brazilian flavor. Heydt is featured on alto and soprano saxophones as well as flute. The core rhythm section showcases Norman Pors on piano, Marc Schmied on Bass Vito Lesczak on drums. Sheryl Bailey offers some tasteful guitar soloing on several tracks and Marlon Simon offers his special Latin Percussion on nearly all the tracks.

The first cut sets the mood with the driving Afro-Cuban rhythms from Simon on congas and timbales. Todd Schwartz takes the first solo on trumpet, again giving the tune an authentic jazz/salsa flavor.

Throughout the Cd the most striking feature to this listener is the addition of strings to the standard jazz ensemble. Although many jazz artists - starting with Charlie Parkers' have added string arrangements to jazz standards it remains a fresh sound. Here it is not overdone but a perfect compliment to Heydt's flute.

Marsha Heydt takes some risks on this Cd as well. The treatment of You Don't Know What Love Is is unusual. The psychedelic/smooth jazz with strings version of this often-called standard hosts an abundance of influences. I can hear shades of Hendrix, Parker with Strings, Hal Galper and of course Marsha Heydt!

One of the Cd's most endearing moments comes at the hands of vocalist Carla Cook. I Want You to Know features a beautiful string arrangement behind Heydt's soprano saxophone and Cook's vocal. Cellist Erik Friedlander also enjoys some nice interplay with Heydt's flute on The Love Theme from Spartacus.

The best surprise comes at the end of this first Cd by Marsha Heydt. The final cut Afrikaan shows a side of the Heydt and the ensemble not heard previously on One Night. The infectious montuno played by Pors and underscored by the entire rhythm section is the perfect balance to Heydt's flute and Schmied's bass. This is my favorite tune on the album.

The following covers several instrumental Jazz releases that might be best grouped within the Contemporary realm and will likely appeal to those interested in the arena.

(1) presents New York-based woodwind player Marsha Heydt on a thirteen-song program that focuses on standards and originals in mixed thematic settings. Heydt is a fine technical player on a variety of reeds, including alto saxophone, flute, and soprano saxophone, with a soloing style that favors the melodic framework as a focal point. A smooth Latin approach is employed on several numbers, such as the opener, "Good Feelin'," a flute/strings feature, "Green Dolphin Street," and Mancini's "Days Of Wine And Roses." Heydt's front line partner on five cuts is trumpeter Todd Schwartz, who is particularly strong on Monk's "Well, You Needn't." For Heydt, Grover Washington, Jr. is an obvious influence on her sound and there is no better example of this muse than on "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," as well as the funk of "You Don't Know What Love Is." A few guests also appear to embellish the proceedings, including vocalist Carla Cook on the Heydt original, "I Want You To Know," as well as guitarist Sheryl Bailey, who does her best Wes Montgomery impersonation on "One Night." Perhaps the strongest and most puzzling surprise given the vibe of the program is the appearance of Downtown great, cellist Erik Friedlander. Friedlander adds his accomplished word on six tracks, most notably for his lovely, yet brief duet with Heydt on "Love Theme From Spartacus," and his stirring pizzicato work on the South African smoothness on "Akrikaan." Frankly, it is just plain odd to hear Friedlander in this setting, but he manages to prove his enormous talent on each outing. As for Heydt and the music contained herein, this is commercial music in the vein of Heydt's Contemporary Jazz heroes, with lots of Latin infusions and smooth lines with very little in the way of straight Jazz content.

CD Review:

Jazzreview.com, Jim McElroy
http://www.jazzreview.com/cd/review-19493.html

There are several words to describe the debut recording by Marsha Heydt. Words like, flawless, effortless, polished and intoxicating. Thirteen selections on the album and not a bad one among the bunch, with styles ranging from Brazilian to 70's funk to straight ahead jazz and then back to the blues. Ms Heydt gives us some fine remakes of classic numbers such as "Georgia On My Mind" and "The Days of Wine and Roses" mixed in with several original compositions such as "Good Feelin", "One Night" and "I Want to Know You".

Given her upbringing in rural Pennsylvania Dutch Country, not exactly a hot bed of jazz to say the least, the lady quickly found her place in life by starting piano lessons when she was only five years old. Music was in the genes, her mother a gifted pianist in her own right, and played in the local church. After seeing Phil Woods play in nearby Reading Pennsylvania Heydt knew she had not only found her passion she had found the instrument by which to transmit that passion, the saxophone. She did not however limit herself to just that one instrument she has studied guitar as well as flute and clarinet as well as voice. This huge range of talent is clearly evident on the album One Night.

Each number stands well on its own but when taken as a whole the album is a tapestry of styles and emotions that deliver on the promise few can deliver, an album of contemporary classics that never loose sight of where they came from.

There is one track whose title can make you wonder what was she thinking when she chose it . "The Love Theme from Spartacus". Images of Kirk Douglas spring to mind and the idea of a love theme can be a little hard to grasp. Well fear not, it is gorgeous number done with a touch of Brazil thrown in for good measure, it will quickly become a favorite.

On "Well U Needn't", Heydt and Todd Schwartz play Monk's number with real respect for the artist and the legacy. The standout number on the entire recording has to be the soulful recording of "Georgia On My Mind". Played with restrained emotion that builds slowly as the number progresses, it is a hit all over again. Ray Charles could not have done better on his best day. One Night by Marsha Heydt on Blue Toucan records, a stand out debut by an artist whose time has come and we are the better for it.

A recording by someone who will become one of the great musicians of jazz
author: John Book/Music For America: www.okayplayer.com

Marsha Heydt is a jazz musician based in New York (her roots are in Allentown, Pennsylvania) who makes the saxophone her chosen instrument, but also is quite impressive on the flute. One Night (Blue Toucan Music) is her debut CD, but after hearing the 13 tracks on this CD, she is anything but a first-timer (in fact she has played for the last 16 years, in that time doing a good amount of session work.) For those who are familiar with her name or her sound, it's a bold step for her but one that will be the first of many in the right direction.

The CD cover has her standing on a road, in a black dress, holding an alto sax. With that kind of simple approach I wasn't sure what to expect, but the moment "Good Feelin'" comes out the speakers, one gets the intention of the song, which helps pave the way for a very impressive album. Heydt is not a musician who takes over the music as soon as the music begins, the approach is subtle and pleasant, but this isn't smooth jazz. The music grooves for awhile before you hear a full solo from her, and her technique, while not forced, is very powerful and she is very aware of the power of space in her work. "Good Feelin'" is one of five original songs, and I could easily see other saxophonists and musicians adapting and embracing her work. "One Night", another Heydt original, is credited to being influenced by the 70's-era Grover Washington Jr., and if you are familiar with his Kudu material, you will definitely hear hints of his style, while Heydt adds her own colors and tones.

She is comfortable in playing that laid back, down-tempo CTI jazz as she is in incorporating various Latin styles, as she adds a unique twist to "Spartacus Love Theme". Other covers include "Georgia On My Mind", Henry Mancini's "Days Of Wine And Roses", Thelonious Monk's "Well U Needn't", and a very classy rendition of the classic Joe Zawinul composition, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy". With each song, just as one tends to get comfortable in what is being presented, she throws in a few surprises, pushing herself to do more as she honors each song in the best way she knows how.

One Night may be all she wants to offer, for now at least, but what happens if one requests breakfast as the sun rises? One can only hope she will continue to tantalize and play with a passion on future recordings. If this is the progress of a musician 16 years in the making, more recording and playing will solidify her position as one of the great musicians of jazz.

CD Review: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/10/18/075817.php
Written by Big Geez

When reviewing music it's always a kick to discover something new, and an album coming out soon on the Blue Toucan label delivers a breath of fresh air in the person of Marsha Heydt. A talented saxophonist who is equally at home with the flute, hers might be an unfamiliar name to jazz lovers but her debut album, One Night, serves notice that she's someone to watch.

Her musical abilities have been honed by years of study followed by a decade of performing professionally on the New York jazz scene. During that time, she's worked with a number of established groups, including those of Bob Mintzer, Grover Washington, and Randy Brecker. She also made a recent appearance on David Letterman, sitting in with Paul Schaefer's group.

Marsha uses all her instrumental skills on this album, which includes a variety of tunes and styles. It's obvious she wanted her first album to show her versatility in jazz and there's a little bit of everything here, ranging from her arrangements of some standards to a few of her own compositions. She's joined by a group of solid pros, including Todd Schwartz on trumpet and pianist Norman Pors.

Marsha must have felt strongly enough about her own songs to open the album with one, "Good Feelin'," and it definitely gets us started with exactly that — a good feeling. It's a bouncy song with a Latin beat, and her solid sax tones duel Schwartz's trumpet to great effect.

She's also given a Latin treatment to Mancini's classic "Days Of Wine And Roses," and this track gives us the opportunity to hear Marsha's outstanding flute play. Her flute carries the melody too in "On Green Dolphin Street," one of my favorite jazz standards, with Pors' talented piano play taking a share of the spotlight.

She dips her toe into the contemporary jazz pool on a couple of tracks — first with another of her compositions, "One Night," and then the more familiar "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." Both songs had a soft R&B feel, smooth as silk.

One interesting choice to include on the album was the "Spartacus Love Theme," which is a haunting and familiar melody (if you've seen the movie recently). I've never heard it arranged and played by a jazz group but I must say that I liked it. Marsha took out her flute again for this one and carries the melody well, backed up nicely by Pors on piano. Very special.

One more little surprise occurs. It takes place on "I Want You To Know," as guest vocalist Carla Cook takes a singing turn, and her voice fits in well with the mood of the album.

Overall, a very good debut for Marsha Heydt and her group, and hopefully there will be more to come from this talented lady.