Eric Marner

“Now that I have Key Leaves, I don’t need to worry about my keys sticking anymore"

Eric Marner passed away July 5, 2021. His extraordinary influence as a musician and middle school music teacher is missed. Below is a short bio honoring his musical career.

Eric Marner’s 2007 solo debut CD, “Hearsay,” was hailed as the new sound of Smooth Jazz. It featured Eric on three saxophones, lead, and background vocals. The Hearsay cd was his introduction to the music industry as a writer, producer, and arranger.His sophomore CD, “The Soul of Love” is an innovative blend of R& B productions with the classy musical elements of Jazz and Smooth Jazz. Eric has incorporated the modern R&B production styles of producers such as Babyface, P.Diddy, and Neyo; the Soul of Love has helped blur the lines of instrumental music to create a new genre call “Instrumental R& B”. This musical innovation paved the way for his new project “No, I’m Different”, 2013.“Now that I have Key Leaves, I don’t need to worry about my keys sticking anymore"

Eric’s musical experiences range from Jacques Ibert, to Charlie Parker, to Kirk Franklin. He has performed with and shared the stage with artists from all genres such as: Clark Terry, Natalie Cole, Kim Waters, Mary Mary, Darrin Atwater, Phil Perry, Maurette Brown Clark, Shirley Caesar, Tanya Blount, Kim and Marvin Winans, The Blackbyrds, The Basement Boys, Ledisi, Najee, John Whitherspoon, The Sounds of Blackness, and Dawn Robinson formerly of En Vogue. Eric has also had the opportunity to portray a saxophone player in the movie Syriana starring George Clooney and Matt Damon. Eric has travelled abroad extensively and continues to perform locally with several groups, but his main is developing his new sound with the band Brave New World.

Eric was featured on Baltimore’s Fox 45 News Artist Spotlight in 2007 and 2009. He performed on the Today Show’s “Today Throws a Wedding”, and was featured as a Smooth Jazz Pick of the Week in the Baltimore Times by radio personality and author Randy Dennis. Eric has been the musical director of several sold out shows in Baltimore such as: Baltimore’s Tribute to Stevie Wonder, Tribute to Marvin Gaye 1&2, and the Tribute to Grover Washington Jr., as well as the dynamic stage play, The Pray’ers Club.

Seeing Eric perform and hearing his music gives homage to the past greats and a glimpse of the future for instrumental music.