's career can easily be divided into two phases. Early on he was a fixture in Boston, playing with
(1949-1950), and his own groups. After gigging with a band co-led by
(1953-1955) which earned him a strong reputation. He moved to Los Angeles in 1956 (working with
and other West Coast jazz stars), returned to Boston to teach in 1958 at Berklee, and the following year, had a return stint with
. After marrying
co-led a group with the pianist on and off up to 1967, living in Japan during part of the time and also working with
The second phase of his career began with the formation of his early fusion group
Osmosis in 1967. Known at the time as a strong bop altoist with a sound of his own developed out of the
Charlie Parker style,
Mariano began to open his music up to the influences of folk music from other cultures, pop, and rock. He taught again at Berklee, traveled to India and the Far East, and in the early '70s settled in Europe. Among the groups
Mariano has worked with have been
Pork Pie (which also featured
Philip Catherine), the United Jazz & Rock Ensemble, and
Eberhard Weber's Colours.
Charlie Mariano's airy tones on soprano and the nagaswaram (an Indian instrument a little like an oboe) fit right in on some new agey ECM sessions and he also recorded as a leader through the years for Imperial, Prestige, Bethlehem, World Pacific, Candid (with
Toshiko Akiyoshi in 1960), Regina, Atlantic, Catalyst, MPS, CMP, Leo, and Calig, among others.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi