An excellent bop-based trumpeter and a busy session player during much of his career, Marvin Stamm has long been a flexible player. He started on trumpet when he was 12 and later studied at North Texas State University. Stamm was with Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Orchestra during 1961-1963 (getting occasional solos) and played with Woody Herman during 1965-1966. He gained some recognition for his playing with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (1966-1972), but spent much of his time during the next two decades in the studios. Stamm, who performed with Benny Goodman during 1974-1975 and toured with George Gruntz's Concert Jazz Band in 1987, has since concentrated much more on jazz playing, and his Music Masters releases are good examples of his talents. ~ Scott Yanow