Lou Marini has survived and thrived in the music business for well over 50 years. After stints in Blood, Sweat, and Tears and the Saturday Night Live band, Marini became the beloved sax man in The Blues Brothers. The band, especially when John Belushi and Dan Aykoyd were up front, was a rocket ship. It elevated the concept of a “blues revue” to new heights and always paid tribute to their blues and soul forefathers, whose songs they covered and who they featured in cameos in their two movies. The original movie is a cult favorite and the band has sold over 11 million records. Marini is one of two original members that tours with The Original Blues Brothers Band (the other being Tom “Bones” Malone). They were on hand, along with original musical director Paul Shaffer, and all the “new” members, some of whom have been in the group over 30 years, to headline the Musicians for ALS: The Blues and More concert in April at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. The spirit and joy is still palpable and the crowd ate it up.
Meanwhile, Marini has had an otherworldly career as a sideman and studio musician. It would be easier to list who he hasn’t played with, but Eric Clapton, Tony Bennett, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Frank Zappa, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Lou Reed, Aerosmith, The Band, and Steely Dan is a good start. He has also stepped out front as a bandleader on several excellent blues and jazz albums, including four in the last two years. We Like To Groove! with Lluis Coloma is an upbeat, swinging jazz record that boogies and woogies. It really cooks. Point of View is a terrific straight-ahead jazz record with Steven Feifke that features not only Marini’s sax playing, but his work on flute as well. 2025’s Out of the Blue from Blue Lou Marini and Bluband has a retro film noir feel with a full horn section. It’s a cool big band record that features a lot of New York City jazz mainstays. He has also spent a lot of time in Italy in recent years, jamming with local musicians. One of the results is the just-released album Playtime, under the moniker Lou Marini and the Italian Groovers, a fresh-sounding instrumental jazz effort. Next up is his annual trek with James Taylor. At almost 81 years old, he’s brimming with energy and creativity. There’s no slowing down the affable, talented, and indefatigable “Blue Lou”.
