| UK-based
Cai Marle-Garcia, aka 'MR. EARS', is the driven, new
force on the international bass scene. Adept on both
fretted bass and his favoured fretless bass, the 24-year-old
has experience of performing and recording jazz, funk,
pop, soul, r’n’b, hip-hop, rock, latin,
fusion and world music. From leading his own jazz/rock
fusion group with original compositions to recording
a spontaneous but highly successful and effervescent
debut solo album in 2008/2009, Cai’s journey
is certainly one of self-discovery as well as a quest
to breathe new life into the jazz scene.
Cai’s love for jazz only started to blossom
when he joined the renowned Weekend Arts College (WAC)
aged 16. Under the tutelage of saxophone legend Tim
Whitehead (‘Nucleus’, ‘The Homemade
Orchestra’), the weekly workshops honed Cai’s
soloing, arranging and composition skills alongside
many other talented young musicians. Here, he followed
in the footsteps of other music luminaries associated
with WAC, including Ian Carr, Julian Joseph, Mark
and Michael Mondesir, Abram Wilson and Courtney Pine.
Cai received four major awards from the scheme and
was recognised as a promising talent.
In 2005, an enlightening trip to Australia with guitarist
Ollie Haydon-Mulligan produced an album for their
acid-jazz trio 'Maladaption'. The pair came back to
the UK to perform their original material at venues
including London’s Jazz Cafe. Cai began working
on a group in the role of bandleader and composer
and ‘The Mr. Ears Project’ was born. Influenced
greatly by his love for the jazz/fusion super-group
Weather Report, Cai recorded a demo with his three
other band-members in 2006 and by 2007 the group were
performing at a variety of notable venues, including
the Vortex Jazz Club, Camden Town’s Green Note,
The Bulls Head and the 2007 Isle of Wight International
Jazz Festival.
In October 2007, Cai felt 'The Mr. Ears Project' had
come to a natural conclusion and began a new journey,
working with pianist Richard Fairhurst, saxophonist
Russell van den Berg and drummer Martyn Kaine. After
toying with the idea of forming a new group, Cai decided
to arrange a spontaneous recording session. He contacted
10 vastly talented musicians, some young and some
experienced (three of whom Cai met for the first time
on the day of recording); three long days in August
2008 saw immense energy and musicianship combine to
make a unique recording and write the first big chapter
in Cai’s story.
Cai's debut album, entitled ‘Mr. Ears’
features saxophonists Tony Woods, Duncan Eagles and
Rob Sell, keyboardists Kit Downes (MERCURY AWARD NOMINEE) and Steve Kite,
drummers Martyn Kaine and Dan Paton, guitarist Sagat
Guirey, Freddie Gavita on trumpet, and Stuart Semple
on percussion.
Cai has played with the finest musicians around including Michael Garrick MBE, Gabriel Garrick, Mercury-nominated Kit Downes, Shabaka Hutchings, Zem Audu, Mark Crown, Sam Leak, Darren Altman, Dorian Ford, Ivo Neame, Binker Golding, guitarists Sagat
Guirey and Ronnie Johnson, Tim Whitehead, Tony Woods,
Richard Fairhurst, Russell van den Berg, Martyn Kaine
and many other top musicians.
With his own original compositions, Cai has a clear
vision: to bring what made jazz-fusion in the 1970s
and 80s so good, to the modern day. Memorable tunes
that you'll end up whistling, grooves that simmer
then boil over. Organic tunes that make modern jazz
about melodies and 'in-the-moment' spontaneity. With
his debut album 'Mr. Ears', Cai is looking to start
this revival from 2009. |
