In 1981, in Philadelphia, Scott Marvill assembled a group of musicians eager to play the music they enjoyed. Jazz. They soon discovered a certain "chemistry" and musical affinity that led to their formation of "Freeport". [1]. After much song selection, the group would flourish playing for a decade together. Some of the highlights were recording and performing with Tower Of Power, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Special EFX, and Grover Washington Jr. to name a few.
Then Scott moved to North Carolina. He decided to continue the band taking the opportunity to bring the New York/Philadelphia jazz feel to the South. He assembled players and instrumentation that would provide a unique sound. Doing this has created a very full and flexible sound allowing Freeport to play all types of jazz. This is evident by the numerous instruments on stage including three keyboards, multiple saxes (Alto, Tenor, Soprano), flute, drums, guitar and basses.
Since re-entering the jazz community in 2005 Freeport has found themselves as busy as they want to be. Why? During a recent radio interview on 88.5 WFDD Marvill says "we found that drawing from multiple music styles such as Contemporary Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Jazz standards, and R&B gives everyone what they want. Plus there are no self-imposed limits within the band. Our performances are always fresh not knowing what influence will creep into that particular song. Our arrangements and performances are impacted by dynamic changes and influences from all styles of jazz. In fact, what we hear most is the enjoyment of these influences we apply in our songs." This infusion helps with communicating and connecting to the audience. Freeport pays close attention to how and what the audience reacts to and in turn providing them exactly what they want at the same time not forgiving musical exploration and feel.
They have performed, recorded and shared stages at top festivals and venues with sophomoric artists, Grammy Award winners and legends like Bob James, Nils, Joyce Cooling, Paul Brown, James Cotton, Bob Baldwin, Eric Mintel, Matt Marshak, Dee Lucas, Marcus Anderson, Tower Of Power, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Special EFX, and Grover Washington Jr. and the list goes on.
Marvill states “there are no self-imposed limits within the band. Our performances are always fresh not knowing what influence will creep into that particular song. Our arrangements and performances are impacted by dynamic changes and influences from all styles of jazz. In fact, what we hear most is the enjoyment of these influences we apply in our songs." This infusion helps with communicating and connecting to the audience. Freeport pays close attention to how and what the audience reacts to and in turn providing them exactly what they want at the same time not forgiving musical exploration and feel.
The four piece Jazz group consists of Steve Thornton on saxes, flute, percussion, Jo Daniels on keyboards, Tony Testa on drums, and Scott Marvill on guitar and basses.