Two prominent figures passed away in late 2025 and early 2026: Marilyn Mazur and Ralph Towner. Towner was not only a master of guitar performance but also a source of inspiration for composition. He leaves behind a vast and unique musical legacy in jazz.
Marilyn Mazur, a percussionist and composer who first came to prominence in Miles Davis’s band and later in Jan Garbarek’s, was a pioneer in women’s instrumental jazz. As the leader of her own projects, she developed her own distinctive style of playing and composition.
On the occasion of the LDH’s 50th anniversary, paying tribute to these two recently deceased artists—who have received far too little media attention—seemed fitting to me, as the association has always been open to all forms of jazz.
Etienne Plumer on tablas and percussion and Barbara Wiernik on vocals are, without a doubt, the ideal partners for this tribute.
The repertoire will consist of compositions by Ralph Towner and Marilyn Mazur, as well as original compositions.