Tina Marsh - Voice, Composer, Founder. As the Orchestra's founder and musical leader, Tina Marsh has cultivated one of the most interesting musical communities in the World. Her interest in conveying the voice as an independent musical instrument is part of what gives the Orchestra its unique tone and perspective. In addition to performing with CO2, she sings with the Bob Rodriguez Trio ( re-harmonized standards, as well as originals, ala Ornette Coleman, etc...), Jazz Puerto Rico (standards arranged as salsa and bolero for three trombones and rhythm section, led by Randy Zimmerman), in addition to many collaborations for and with dance companies and choreographers including Jose Bustamante, Sally Jacques, Yacov Sharir, Deborah Hay as well as with inventor / sculptor Ellen Fullman and her Long String Instrument. The performance ALCHEMY features Marsh with trio and costumes, lights, projections in an evening that spans many genres of music.
Tina has an active teaching schedule, both private lessons and elementary school residencies with many multi-disciplinary projects, and does high school and college level master classes. She is a recipient of awards from Meet the Composer / Reader's Digest Jazz Commissioning Consortium, and the New Forms Regional Initiatives Grant. As director of the Co2, she also produces concerts, invites guest artists (Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Roscoe Mitchell, Vinny Golia, Billy Hart, Kenny Wheeler), and produces the recordings. A quartet recording featuring Marsh with Bob Rodriguez, Ken Filiano and Ron Glick is due out in 1999, as well as a long anticipated recording of a cappella lullabies and spirituals. She is headed for Holland in the Spring to play several concerts with Alex Coke and quartet.
Randy Zimmerman - Trombone. Randy Zimmerman, first trombone alumni of the critcally acclaimed North Texas State One O'Clock Lab Band, is one of the founders of Co2 and continues to play the role of "Chart-Dog". He has traveled and performed in the Soviet Union and Portugal with the fabled lab band, before moving to New York, then connecting with the Klaus Lenz Fusion Band and touring Germany. He is also a much sought-after arranger for salsa and big bands. He is at home in brass quintets, big bands, jazz combos, chamber music, polkas, Dixieland, salsa, etc. He is also a tremendous bandleader in his own respect. His fiery band Jazz Puerto Rico (Jazz PR) presenting original arrangements of Latin classics and jazz standards, for three trombones rhythm section, has just released their first CD, La Brisa Del Sur on C r e O p M u s e Records. The Jazz Nomads - a hard-bop septet featuring the hard bop music of Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Kenny Dorham, McCoy Tyner and others, as well as originals, is another of his leader posts. And his most prolific project to date - The Southern Reconstruction Brass Band; built on the idea of funky, New Jack, Streetband Physics and composed of an amalgamation of some serious local prodigies.
James Lakey - Trombone. James Lakey joined the CO2 in 1984, and has been a core composing member since then. He is also the musical director/arranger/composer for drummer Sebastian Whittaker and the Creators, the critically acclaimed New Jack/Hard Bop/Post Modern, backwoods band out of all points far and near to Houston, Texas; exposing the light on all the young modern day swing pretenders. He has studied with trombone master Donald Knaub and performed in the University of Texas Wind Ensemble under famed conductor Thomas Lee. His pop forays include arranger/musical director for the late Dan Del Santo and his World Beat contingent The Professors of Pleasure, Dino Lee, and also the Killer Bees as well as having backed up the likes of Mel Torme, Bernadette Peters, Maurice Hines, The Four Tops, The Temptations among others. He has been a Trombone Clinician for Clark Terry's Jazz Institute in LeMars, Iowa where he also performed with Clark . Responsible for the 'Gully' art movement in Austin, he is one of the original members of Jazz PR and wrote the title track, La Brisa Del Sur. His compositions have also been played on Models, Inc., Homicide: Life on the Streets and Melrose Place. James resides in Atlanta, Georgia, heart of the warm deep south and door to the backwoods truth.
Martin Banks - Trumpet, Flugel horn. With an incredible personal connection to the historical legacy of American Jazz, Martin Banks has played and recorded with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dexter Gordon, and Sun Ra just to name just a few. Originally from Austin, Texas '...home of the Crazy Asylum', he has returned from his stints on the both coasts and points beyond to be a hometown source of inspiration for players of all ages and levels in the region. He can be heard all over Austin with the Jazz Pharoahs, trumpeter Ephraim Owens, among many others, and will be going to New York to guest in the Clark Terry Tribute at the Blue Note. In addition, he enjoys playing a very popular guru and griot to many neighborhood school children by being a guest artist in creative workshops designed for them. Martin's noble sound, hard swing and legendary status, contribute immensely to the Orchestra's unique vibe and timbre.
Jay Rozen - Tuba. Jay Rozen has played tuba with the CO2 since 1986, and has contributed many popular compositions. He plays regularly in the Capital of Texas Brass Quintet (their CD, Down By The Riverside) as well as the Southern Reconstruction Brass Band. Jay was the founder and main energy behind a two year New Music series called Sound the Alarm! He was a member of the Leadbelly Legacy Band featuring Alex Coke, and was primary accompaniment for Tina Marsh's project, Collaborative Voices. He was tuba professor at Southwest Texas State University and travelled Russia with their brass quintet, the Southwest Brass Works. He toured several times in Europe with the European Tuba Quartet. Jay is is dedicated to commissioning new music and can be heard on CRI Recording #625, David Lang's Are You Experienced?(for electric tuba and ensemble) - a piece which he premiered with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and played nationally with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Ensemble among many other groups. Virgil Thomson wrote a piece for him, Jay Rozen: Portrait and Fugue . As a composer and arranger he is published by TUBA Press, G. Schirmer, and more. His CD, Killer Tuba Songs with pianist Vern Nelson is on TTT Music.
John Mills-Woodwinds. John Mills is one of the most in demand woodwinds players in Central Texas. He enjoys a wide variety of musical milieux and can be heard in such diverse situations as Beto y Los Fairlanes, to nationally televised performances with Lyle Lovett, Manhattan Transfer, Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lavelle White, to long improvised evenings with die-hard New Music enthusiasts. He had a long stint as musical director for Rodney Dangerfield. He recently completed his Doctorate in Composition at the University of Texas at Austin, and is now Director of Jazz Studies at Southwest Texas State University. He scores for media, film, and television. John is a first call commercial composer as well as top choice for any variety of special projects at many area studios. His compositions are a huge and popular mainstay in the repertoire of the CO2 and he is very active in the programming of CO2 sets. He has 5 cats, none of which are legitimate.
Bob Rodriguez-Piano. Bob Rodriguez frequently leaves his home in the New York area to re-join the CO2's creative efforts. For ten years his contributions on the piano and his harmonically modern compositions have helped to frame the CO2's unique sound. Originally from Cleveland, he moved to Houston and then migratied to New York where he studied with Richie Bierach, and has carved out a flourishing teaching schedule which includes master classes and workshops. He has been Guest Lecturer at Julliard and Wheaton Colleges, as well as Visiting Instructor for Piano and Jazz Improvisation at Music Sonstatas in Bennington, Vermont and Lubec, Maine. He was featured composer and pianist, along with Muhal Richard Abramsand Jack Walrath for Discovery Orchestra, and his CO2 composition, Aftermath, was played in the BMI Masters Workshop. He has performed with such leading jazz artists as George Adams, Carla Bley, Joe Farrell, Billy Hart, Steve Swallow, Paul McCandless, Amahd Jamal, McCoy Tyner, and Kenny Wheeler. He is a close collaborator with and arranger for Tina Marsh in duo, trio, and quartet formats. His new CD, Mist, features bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Ron Glick and is on Nine Winds Records.
Edwin Livingston-Accoustic Bass. Edwin Livingston is originally from the Dallas area, and completed his studies in jazz and the bass at Southwest Texas State University. As well the Creative Opportunity Orchestra and playing with Tina Marsh in quartet and trio for the past three years, Edwin has played with Wes Anderson, LaMont Johnson, James Clay and Alvin Batiste, and is a current member of Hot Buttered Rhythm, a double rhythm section groove band. In addition to his own self titled group he has pioneered a series of duet concerts at Austin's historic Victory Grill. He has a new CD of mostly originals entitled The Edwin Livingston Group.
Dennis Dotson-Trumpet. Dennis Dotson's gorgeous trumpet sound and advanced, uncluttered and swinging ideas make him the talk of any gig he plays. He spent five years in Las Vegas, and has played with Carl Fontana, Joe Henderson, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Buddy Rich, Chuck Israels, and spent three years with Woody Herman. Currently he is playing with the John Adams Quartet, among other projects he is involved with in Houston. He also teaches Trumpet and Improvisation at Houston Community College where he also leads two jazz ensembles. In addition, he is Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Houston.
