Marty Morell

Who is Marty Morell?

Marty Morell is a drummer, percussionist, vibraphonist and producer who played with the Bill Evans Trio for seven years - longer than any other drummer. Morell attended the Manhattan School of Music and studied mallets with Morris Goldberg, and tympani with Saul Goodman at the Juilliard School of Music. Prior to joining Bill Evans, he worked and/or recorded with the Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet, Henry "Red" Allen, Gary McFarland, Steve Kuhn and Gábor Szabó.

Morell recorded prolifically and toured the world with pianist Bill Evans and bassist Eddie Gomez from late 1968 through 1974. Evans biographer Peter Pettinger, calling Morell "an unsung stalwart of piano trio history" wrote:

...he had been responsible for an exceedingly tight unit that could swing and drive relentlessly. His control of the twelve-bar sections in a number like "Twelve Tone Tune", for instance, was as snappy and precise as coulld be. At the same time,on ballads, he never failed to provide a listening cushion of the utmost delicacy, seeming to imbue his drums with the ability to breathe of their own volition, and always in expressive union with his leader.