Martin Lass

Martin Allan Lass (born August 6, 1958) is an American violinist and sometime astrologer, who grew up, and started his performance career, in Australia.

Martin Lass
Born
Martin Allan Lass

August 6, 1958
Chicago, Illinois
Occupation
  • Musician
  • composer
  • violinist
  • astrologer

Biography

Martin Lass was born in Chicago in 1958 to Earle Lass (born 1931) and Ruth (born 1933); he has two siblings.[1] At the age of eight, he became interested in playing violin after seeing Yehudi Menuhin on a TV show.[2] The Lass family migrated to Australia in 1969.[1] He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and then joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra.[2][3] He also played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra,[2][3][4] and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra).[3]

Lass was a contestant on Bert Newton's TV talent quest, New Faces,[5] in 1982, winning the Grand Final[6] and People Choice awards. Then a touring career ensued, in which he combined classical, gypsy and popular genres including jazz, bluegrass and Celtic. He has also written much original material. He appeared as the Fiddler in two seasons of Fiddler on the Roof in Sydney.

In the 1980s he was a frequent television performer, including regular appearances on The Midday Show with Ray Martin and Hey Hey It's Saturday.[7] He supported major stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, Julio Iglesias,[3] Kamahl[3] and Joan Baez. He won the Mo Award for Instrumental Act for eight years consecutively, from 1984 to 1991.[8] By January 1989 Lass had, "developed a stage show which combines unique stage clothes with a powerful stage presence. His playing is backed by four other musicians, who also feature in their own right as a band. His wife plays synthesisers and is the musical director."[2] He was voted the Variety Club Artist of the Year 1990. He recorded 10 CDs and sold over 250,000 albums. According to The Canberra Times' Vanessa Johnson, "[he] has revolutionised the classics, playing music which links Bach, Vivaldi and Beethoven to jazz, country and rock 'n' roll."[7]

Lass returned to the United States in the 2000s, for ten years, and has periodically returned to Australia.[9] In 2002 he recorded his ninth album, Sonnet, at Galactic Studios in Nyack, New York.[10] For that album he provided art direction, design, audio engineer, keyboards, mastering, mixing engineer, piano, producer, and violin.[10] AllMusic's Alex Henderson rated it at three-out-of-five stars and explained, "[it] is an example of the more classical-influenced new age, and even though the material falls short of mind-blowing, all of it is pleasant and sincere."[10]

Martin Lass's piano accompanist is his Dutch-born wife Inge, who made her Carnegie Hall debut at age 14 and studied at the New England Conservatory from age 16.[11] They have three children and two grandchildren. Lass was a practising professional astrologer from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s.[12] He has written astrological books and articles, and given presentations to astrological societies. His book, Chiron - Healing Body and Soul (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005),[13] has become a definitive text about Chiron, the "planet" of Wounding and Healing. In addition to this, in Sydney, for eight years, Lass was a student of an esoteric school of self-knowledge under George M. Adie (1901–1989), a disciple of George Gurdjieff and P. D. Ouspensky.[9]

Compositions
  • "Stories of Ray Bradbury" (1981) - Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & BBC Philharmonic [14]
  • "Six Pieces for String Orchestra" (1980) - West Australian Symphony Orchestra under Dobbs Franks [15]
  • "Four Pieces for Violin and Piano 1980" - The Seymour Group directed by Vincent Plush, performed by John Harding (violinist) and David Stanhope (pianist), Sunday, June 22, 1980 [16]
  • NASA - Soundtrack for NASA's video, “3 Years of Sun in 3 Minutes” (Song: “A Lady's Errand of Love”) ( @ 0:19s) [17]
  • US Music Library: Inter Music Library - Trailer for re-release of classic French film, “La régle du jeu” (“The Rules of the Game”) (1939) (Song: “Bach-analia”) (2007) ( @ 0:53s) [18]
  • 11 songs from CD release, “Sonnet” (classical crossover style) (2001) - Radio airplay by over 600 radio stations worldwide. Achieved No. 13 on the US “New Age Voice” charts.[19]

Discography
  • 1983 - Gypsy Airs (EMI)[6][20][21]
  • 1986 - String sensations / Martin Lass (WEA : G and R Records)[3][22] - AUS #42[23]
  • 1988 - One love / Martin Lass (EMI)[24] - AUS #83[23]
  • 1989 - Bach to the future (Paganini Promotions)[25]
  • 1991 - Songs without words (Paganini Promotions)[26] - AUS #33[27]
  • 1997 - One Love - AUS #96[27]
  • 1998 - Full circle / Martin Lass (MRA)[28]
  • 2002 - Sonnet / Martin Lass (MRA)[29]
  • 2011 - Take a bow: the ultimate collection / Martin Lass (Fanfare Records)[30]
  • 2014 - Home for Christmas / Martin Lass (EMI)[31]

Bibliography
  • Lass, Martin (1997), Star Traveller: A Planetary Guidebook to Your Spiritual Growth and Evolution, with Messages from the Living Planets, Sydney: M. Lass, ISBN 978-0-646-31235-4
  • Lass, Martin (2005), Chiron: Healing Body & Soul (1st ed.), Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, ISBN 978-0-7387-0717-4

References
  1. "Item details for: A2562, 1969/8640". National Archive of Australia. May 23, 2003. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  2. "Good time Lass fiddles for the fun of it". The Canberra Times. Good Times. 63 (19, 448). January 5, 1989. p. 5. Retrieved January 29, 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. d'Haeye, Madeleine (16 February 1986). "Records". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 116. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  4. Covell, Roger (25 August 1997). "A quiet homage to heavy metal - Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Opera House, August 21". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 12. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  5. McNamara, Marie (22 November 1984). "A show with thousands of Faces". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. p. 1, The Age Green Guide. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. d'Haeye, Madeleine (13 November 1983). "On the Record - Album Winners". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 96. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  7. Johnson, Vanessa (11 April 1991). "Lass back on record with a simpler sound". The Canberra Times. 65 (20, 452). p. 19. Retrieved 28 January 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. Martin Lass at the Mo Awards:
    • 1984 Instrumental Act winner: "9th – 1984". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1985 Instrumental Act winner: "10th – 1985". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1986 Instrumental Act winner: "11th – 1986". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1987 Instrumental Act winner: "12th – 1987". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1988 Instrumental Vocal Instrumental Act winner: "13th – 1988". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1989 Instrumental/Vocal Instrumental Act winner: "14th – 1989". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1990 Instrumental Act winner: "15th – 1990". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
    • 1991 Instrumental Act winner: "16th – 1991". Australian Entertainment 'Mo' Awards. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  9. Living Now Archived 2013-04-10 at Archive.today
  10. Henderson, Alex. "Martin Lass: Sonnet – Martin Lass | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  11. Theme & Variations Piano School Archived 2013-04-11 at Archive.today
  12. Dancing With the Stars Astrology
  17. Video on YouTube
  18. Video on YouTube
  20. Hoffman, W.L. (26 December 1983). "Canberra Living: Lighter Fare - Classical". The Canberra Times (17, 620). p. 10. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  21. Covell, Roger (28 November 1983). "Classical - GYPSY AIRS: Martin Lass and ensemble". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 6, The Guide. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  22. Lass, Martin (1986), String sensations, WEA : G and R Records, retrieved 2 February 2019
  23. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 173. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  24. Lass, Martin (1988), One love, EMI, retrieved 2 February 2019
  25. Lass, Martin (1989), Bach to the future, Paganini Promotions, retrieved 2 February 2019
  26. Lass, Martin (1991), Songs without words, Paganini Promotions, retrieved 2 February 2019
  27. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  28. Lass, Martin (1998), Full circle, MRA, retrieved 2 February 2019
  29. Lass, Martin (2002), Sonnet, MRA, retrieved 2 February 2019
  30. Lass, Martin (2011), Take a bow : the ultimate collection, Fanfare REcords, retrieved 2 February 2019
  31. Lass, Martin (2014), Home for Christmas, retrieved 2 February 2019
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