Josh Marshall
Joshua Marshall is an Oakland-based saxophonist, composer and teacher.His first teaching experience was in the Music Department at Brown University while studying there. After graduating, he spent a year as a full-time volunteer with Americorps, assisting in a literacy class and providing after-school programming for a Rhode Island middle school. Josh began teaching private students on woodwinds during his time at Mills, around 2012. After earning his MFA, he taught a handful of guest-lectures at for the music department at Mills, and began working for music-schools in 2019. His heroes, mentors, and greatest sources of guidance have always been the teachers in his life. It just seemed natural to pass on the lessons learned from them (while developing his own insight in the process).
Alive or Dead, What Musician would you do anything to see?
I would have loved to see the late Steve Lacy perform a solo concert on the soprano saxophone. Every recording I’ve heard of his has touched my heart, and it would be a true delight to hear his ‘sound’ live in a reverberant hall.
Greatest Musical Influence?
The musician who has easily had the greatest impact on my development as a young musician was the guitarist/composer Robert Fripp. I’ve seen him perform several times, and at this point in my musical journey I’m not even sure I have that much to learn from him, but I would cherish the opportunity to personally thank him for inspiring me and helping me think through why I want to make music and how I want to conduct myself as a performing artist.
Any hidden talents besides music?
In high-school I was a nationally ranked Lincoln-Douglass debater. I won a few national tournaments and qualified for the Tournament of Champions in Kentucky (which is one of the three highest-honors you can achieve in that field). These days I mostly debate my friends about topics in music, literature, and film.
What did you want to be while you were growing up?
For a period of time, in my youth, I strongly considered studying law, philosophy, or theology. It eventually became clear to my that music was my first-and-foremost passion, and I haven’t looked back since.
If you could have any ‘Super Power’, which one would it be?
I’d love to be able to create an infinite-time bubble for catching up on sleep. That would be brilliant.
If you could master any other instrument which would it be?
I’ve always adored the cello. Its deep resonance and haunting timbre have entranced me since I first learned about it. I’ve never tried to study any of the bowed-string instruments, but learning cello would be a real treat.
Have you had what people would consider your “15 Minutes of Fame”, and if so when/what was that?
Perhaps so, though I’ll say as a regularly performing musician, I hope to garner 15 minutes more and then some. On several occasions I’ve written published liner notes for albums released by major recording artists, including the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It was such an honor for me to have my words emblazoned on something released by such an influential band.
It’s your last meal: What would it be?
I really love yakitori. Just dozens of yakitori skewers, please!
You are sent to a deserted island, and you only have one album to listen to: Which is it?
Oh this is such a difficult decision! The first thing that comes to mind is “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, which I consider to be one of the very few examples out there of a truly “perfect” record. I’d maybe toss away some canned food to make room for “Gone to Earth” by David Sylvian as well!
If you could leave one lesson with your students what would it be?
I think the most important thing a student of music can learn is how to practice music, that is, how to undergo the investigatory process necessary to take music you don’t know or understand and discover its hidden depths. Technique, repertoire, expression, improvisation etc. are things that we all can learn with enough of time, but the only way to develop those skills is to sit down with an instrument (including your voice!) and figure out how we truly want it to sound.
