Charlie Mariano (born November 11, 1923 in Boston, died June 16, 2009 in Cologne) was an American alto and soprano jazz saxophonist . He played with one of the Stan Kenton big bands, Toshiko Akiyoshi (his then wife), Charles Mingus, Eberhard Weber, the United Jazz and Rock Ensemble and numerous other notable musicians.

He was one of the few non-Indians able to play the nadaswaram, a traditional oboe from South India.

Since the 1980s he spended most of his time in Germany, especially since his marriage with a German painter. His musical breadth is outstanding. He played, apart from the afore mentioned, with the Indian Karnataka College of Percussion, Dissidenten, Jasper van't Hof, Wolfgang Dauner, the German singer-songwriter Konstantin Wecker, plus numerous young musicians.

Amongst jazz fans not as widely known as he deserves he is highly regarded by his colleagues the world over.

Selected discography

* Pork Pie Transitory, 1974
* Eberhard Weber's Colours, 1975
* Some Kind of Changes, 1982 with Eberhard Weber, Ack van Rooyen, Lala Kovacev, Siggi Schwab
* André Jaumes & Charlie Mariano Abbaye et lépau, 1990
* Charlie Mariano Banglalore, 1998
* Theo Jörgensmann Fellowship, 2005
* Charlie Mariano & Dieter Ilg Due, 2005

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