Larance Marable

Larance Norman Marable (born 21 May 1929; died 4 July 2012), born in Los Angeles, California, was an American jazz drummer who specialised in West Coast jazz, hard bop, and cool jazz idioms. Earlier in his career, he was professionally known as Lawrence Marable. He was highly regarded within the jazz community for his driving cymbal work and distinct rhythmic control, establishing himself as a reliable and requested timekeeper for prominent touring musicians visiting the West Coast.

Early Life

Marable was raised in a musical family environment in Los Angeles. He was a relative of the noted Mississippi riverboat bandleader Fate Marable. Despite his family background, Marable did not undergo extensive formal conservatory training and was largely self-taught on the drum kit. He developed his foundational technique and timing by immersing himself in the burgeoning Los Angeles jazz scene during his youth, which allowed him to adapt quickly to the fast tempos of the bebop era.

Career

Marable began working professionally in the early 1950s, performing alongside major jazz figures who toured through Los Angeles, including Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, and Wardell Gray. In 1952, he performed with trumpeter Chet Baker, appearing on the live recording Bird and Chet: Live at the Trade Winds. He recorded his singular studio session as a bandleader in August 1956 for the Jazz West label, resulting in the album Tenorman, which featured tenor saxophonist James Clay and pianist Sonny Clark. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, he worked extensively as a sideman, recording with George Shearing, Milt Jackson, the Montgomery Brothers, and Conte Candoli. Substance dependence caused an interruption in his musical output during the 1960s, leading to a temporary cessation of his career. Following a period of recovery, he resumed full-time musical activities in the mid-1970s, touring internationally with the ensemble Supersax and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. In the late 1980s, bassist Charlie Haden recruited Marable to become a permanent member of his Quartet West. Marable remained with the quartet throughout the 1990s, contributing to a series of critically recognized studio albums for Verve Records, including In Angel City (1988), Haunted Heart (1991), Always Say Goodbye (1993), and Now Is the Hour (1995).

Personal Life

Marable maintained a private personal life, though his extended family connection to jazz pioneer Fate Marable remained a notable part of his heritage. He was an active contributor to the preservation of West Coast jazz history, participating in the Central Avenue Sounds Oral History Project curated by the UCLA center for Oral History Research to document the historical significance of African American jazz musicians in Los Angeles. His legacy is defined by his influence on younger generations of jazz musicians and his ability to transition across bebop, cool jazz, and modern post-bop subgenres. Following a stroke in the 2000s, Marable retired from public performance and relocated to a health care facility. He passed away at the age of 83 on 4 July 2012.

Discography

With Curtis Amy

• Tippin' on Through (Pacific Jazz, 1962)

With Ruth Cameron

• Roadhouse (Verve, 1999)

With Chet Baker

• Chet Baker Big Band (Pacific Jazz, 1956)

• Playboys (Pacific Jazz, 1956)

With Conte Candoli and Lou Levy

• Conte Candoli (Powerhouse Trumpet) (Bethlehem, 1955)

• West Coast Wailers (Atlantic, 1955)

With Kenny Drew

• Kenny Drew and His Progressive Piano (Norgran, 1953–54)

• Talkin' & Walkin' (Jazz:West, 1955)

With Teddy Edwards

• Back to Avalon (Contemporary, 1960 [1995])

with Victor Feldman

• Stop the World I Want to Get Off (World Pacific, 1962)

With Dexter Gordon

• Daddy Plays the Horn (Bethlehem, 1955)

• The Resurgence of Dexter Gordon (Jazzland, 1960)

With Jimmy Giuffre

• Ad Lib (Verve, 1959)

With Charlie Haden

• In Angel City (Verve, 1988)

• Haunted Heart (Verve, 1991)

• Always Say Goodbye (Verve, 1993)

• Now Is the Hour (Verve, 1995)

With Hampton Hawes

• Piano East, Piano West (Prestige, 1952)

• Bird Song (Contemporary, 1956 [1999])

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

• After Hours (Pacific Jazz, 1962)

• Tell It Like It Tis (Pacific Jazz, 1961-62 [1966])

With Milt Jackson

• Ballads & Blues (Atlantic, 1956)

With Frank Morgan

• Frank Morgan (Gene Norman Presents, 1955)

With Carl Perkins

• Introducing Carl Perkins (Dootone, 1956)

With Robert Stewart

• The Movement (Exodus, 2002)

With Sonny Stitt

• Sonny Stitt Plays Jimmy Giuffre Arrangements (Verve, 1959)