Gathering (1974): Gary Marks's Debut Album with John Scofield
Debut album of Gary Marks, American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and author.
A Collector's Classic Recorded Live, No Overdubs
In 1974 singer-songwriter Gary Marks released his debut album Gathering. It is now considered a collector's classic -- a totally unique amalgam of folk, rock and jazz that seems to get richer and more powerful through the years.
It was distributed by Carla Bley's Jazz Composer's Orchestra Association (JCOA). Original copies have sold for as much as $400 on eBay.
What makes the album extra special is the fact that the band included guitar legend-virtuoso John Scofield, the renowned pianist Michael Cochrane, and one of the top vibraphonists in the world, David Samuels. At the time none of them were known to the general public. (Gary, apparently even from the beginning, knew how to hand pick his band members.) In fact, Gathering, recorded in 1973 and 1974, and released in 1974, was John Scofield's first recording as a sideman, according to All About Jazz.
Gary played and sang live with the band on these tracks. No overdubs were used, and all nine tracks were first takes.
The Crazy Way My First Band Formed
The players on my first album, "Gathering," were my first real band. The band formed in 1973 because I met Michael Cochrane, already a great jazz pianist at the age of 21. I heard him play in a university practice room in Boston. I was wandering around various practice room hallways all over the city trying to find someone who I thought could play my odd, very complicated songs without just riffing over the changes.
I had my guitar with me, just in case…. I knocked on his practice room door, sat down on the floor, mentioned that I was offered free recording time in New York, and then played him a song that I thought would win him over. Halfway through the song he started trying to figure out the chords I was playing, because they were not "normal." I didn't even know the names of them. They were just odd finger formations I had come up with that sounded good to me.
After he agreed to be in my band I asked him who the best guitar player in Boston was. He said, "John Scofield." So I went to John's apartment, and we bonded over the music pretty quickly. I asked John who the best vibraphonist in Boston was. He said "David Samuels." David, after he found out I couldn’t read notation, wrote the chord charts to the songs in great detail and passed them around to the rest of the guys during rehearsals.
Michael, John and David became the core of the "Gathering" band that recorded at Ultra Sonic studios in New York a few months later.
We gathered in a big circle in the tracking room and played all the songs live in one take. It was kind of a miracle, really.
We were very excited about how well the album turned out. But because we were in our early twenties, none of us knew anything about the future, except that we would probably stay friends, and hopefully keep getting better as musicians.
Soon after the "Gathering" recording was over, I asked Michael to teach me piano. He approached me as a songwriter. Instead of teaching me reading notation, he taught me jazz theory, and how to improvise. That was the beginning of understanding theoretical concepts that would be central to the way I wrote music for the rest of my life.
Reissued in Europe and Japan
"Gathering" has since been reissued three times in Europe and Japan, including Lantern Heights Records in 2025 - which then led to them releasing and distributing my latest album, "Crossroads."
What Critics Say
“…a real under-discovered gem from the prime years of the American singer/songwriter era.” — Dusty Groove
Forced Exposure: “Gary Marks: Gathering (LP),” 2025
“Gary Marks’ Gathering is exactly what you would call a miracle... the album includes guitar legend John Scofield, the amazing jazz pianist Michael Cochrane, and one of the top vibraphonists in the world, David Samuels.” — Forced Exposure