Marilyn Mazur

Marilyn Mazur studied at Royal Danish Academy of Music. The recorded working language is Danish. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are jazz and jazz-funk. Distinctions recorded are Telenor Culture Award, Ben Webster Prize, Jazzpar Prize and Carl Prisen.

• Name — Marilyn Mazur • Born — 18 January 1955 • Birthplace — New York City, U.S. • Died — 12 December 2025 • Place of death — Copenhagen, Denmark • Genre — Jazz, avant-garde jazz • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Drums • Label — Storyville, ECM, Dacapo, Stunt • Associated Acts — Miles Davis • Website — www.marilynmazur.com • Illustration — Marilyn Mazur's Shamania at Vossajazz 2016

Mazur was born in New York City on January 18, 1955, to a Polish father and an African-American mother. The family moved to Denmark when Marilyn was six years old. She learned to play the piano, but when she was 19, she took up drumming, inspired by Al Foster, Airto Moreira, and Alex Riel. She started her first band in 1973, Zirenes. In 1978, she formed Primi, an all-woman theatre band. In 1985, she was asked to participate in the Palle Mikkelborg project that would become the Miles Davis album Aura, and soon after she went on the road with Miles Davis. Afterward, she played with Gil Evans, Wayne Shorter, Jan Garbarek, and Makiko Hirabayashi. Her all-Scandinavian band Shamania consists of avant-garde female musicians.

Marilyn Mazur died on December 12, 2025, at age 70.

• MM 4 with Mazur Markussen Kvartet (Rosen, 1984) • Marilyn Mazur's Future Song (veraBra, 1992) • Circular Chant (Storyville, 1995) • Small Labyrinths (ECM, 1997) • Colors with LLL-Mental (Hot Wire, 1997) • Jordsange/Earth Songs (Dacapo, 2000) • Poetic Justice with Lotte Anker, Marilyn Crispell (Dacapo, 2001) • All the Birds: Reflecting + Adventurous (Stunt, 2002) • Daylight Stories (Stunt, 2004) • Elixir with Jan Garbarek (ECM, 2008) • Tangled Temptations & the Magic Box (Stunt, 2010) • Celestial Circle (ECM, 2011) • Flamingo Sky (Stunt, 2014) • Marilyn Mazur's Shamania (RareNoise, 2019)

With Lindsay Cooper • Music from the Gold Diggers (Sync Pulse, 1983) • Oh Moscow (Victo, 1991) • Rags & the Golddiggers (ReR, 1991) With Pierre Dørge • Pierre Dorge & New Jungle Orchestra (SteepleChase, 1982) • Brikama (SteepleChase, 1984) • Even the Moon Is Dancing (SteepleChase, 1985) • Canoe (Olufsen, 1986) • Johnny Lives (SteepleChase, 1987) With Jan Garbarek • Twelve Moons (ECM, 1993) • Visible World (ECM, 1996) • Rites (ECM, 1998) With Makiko Hirabayashi • Makiko (Enja, 2006) • Hide and Seek (Enja, 2009) • Surely (Yellowbird, 2013) • Where the Sea Breaks (Yellowbird, 2017) With others • Frans Bak, Natsange (Stunt, 1999) • Jon Balke, Further (ECM, 1994) • Peter Bastian, Northern Lights (Fonix Musik 1997) • Harry Beckett & Pierre Dorge, Echoez of... (Olufsen, 1990) • Kirsten Braten Berg, Stemmenes Skygge (Heilo, 2005) • Ketil Bjornstad, Floating (Universal/EmArcy, 2005) • Ketil Bjornstad, La Notte (ECM, 2013) • Kristian Blak, Antifonale (Tutl, 1987) • Birgit Bruel, Den Hemmelige Rude (Exlibris, 1985) • Etta Cameron & Nikolaj Hess, Etta (Stunt, 2009) • Carsten Dahl, Short Fairytales (EmArcy, 2006) • Lars Danielsson, European Voices (Dragon, 1995) • Miles Davis, Aura (Columbia, 1989) • Gil Evans & Laurent Cugny, Rhythm A Ning (EmArcy, 1988) • Gil Evans & Laurent Cugny, Golden Hair (EmArcy/Mercury 1989) • Yelena Eckemoff, Forget-me-not (L&H, 2011) • Agnes Buen Garnas, Han Rider Den Morke Natt (Via Music 2002) • Caroline Henderson, Made in Europe (Stunt, 2004) • Nikolaj Hess, Playin (Music Mecca, 2000) • Nikolaj Hess, Rhapsody (Cloud, 2016) • Jan Gunnar Hoff, Fly North (Losen, 2014) • Robert Irving III, Midnight Dream (Verve Forecast/Polygram 1988) • Morten Kaersa, Morten Kaersa & Moonjam (Replay, 1987) • Iver Kleive, Kyrie (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, 1994) • Peter Kowald, Duos Europa (FMP, 1991) • Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Gently but Deep (Bhakti, 1996) • Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Colors (Hot Wire, 1997) • Michala Petri, Brazilian Landscapes (2017) • Jean-Michel Pilc, Composing (Storyville, 2015) • Caecilie Norby, Sisters in Jazz (ACT, 2019) • Charlie Mariano, Innuendo (Lipstick, 1992) • Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Uncharted Land (Pladecompagniet, 1992) • Rena Rama, Rena Rama with Marilyn Mazur (Dragon, 1989) • Helge Sunde, Denada (ACT, 2006) • Helge Sunde, Finding Nymo (ACT, 2009) • Eje Thelin, E.T. Project Live at Nefertiti (Dragon, 1986) • Trondheim Voices, Improvoicing (MNJ, 2010) • Hans Ulrik, Strange World (Stunt, 1994) • Hans Ulrik, Suite of Time (Stunt, 2015) • Andreas Vollenweider, Dancing with the Lion (Columbia, 1989) • Andreas Vollenweider, Book of Roses (Columbia, 1991) • Dhafer Youssef, Divine Shadows (Jazzland, 2006) • Eberhard Weber, Stages of a Long Journey (ECM, 2007)

Marilyn Mazur is recorded as having received Telenor Culture Award, Ben Webster Prize and Jazzpar Prize.