Using the rich background of the exotic world of jazz as his canvas, Marty Khan's stories pursue the mystical with a paranormal bent... filled with fascinating characters, sharp dialogue, highly original plot lines and a stylistic flair that is as rhythmic and vibrant as the music that provides the background for his tales.
Khan's immersion in the New York jazz scene since the mid-1960s as fan, musician, manager, producer, advocate, educator and historian provides him with a deep understanding of that world and the men and women who live in it. He depicts it without sentimentality or stereotype, but with a deep love, respect and objective awareness of the mysterious subculture it occupies in the world of the American cultural landscape and folklore. That special atmosphere remains intact whether in the ultra-urban environment of New York City or the wondrous world of the Southwestern deserts (where Khan has resided since 1994).
Through the Membrane is not about tortured genius, the pain of commitment or struggles with the challenges of artistry that are often portrayed as part of the jazz life. Instead, Khan draws upon the unique and vivid personalities he has known to define the various characters who confront the unexpected - and sometimes the unfathomable - circumstances that present themselves along their paths in the pursuit of transcendence.
In truth, these are not stories about musicians or music as much as they are a fertile ground for imaginative explorations in speculative fiction, touching upon politics, social justice, philosophy, spirituality, sexuality, commitment and retribution. In "I Never Lived Until I Died for You" Khan tips his writer's cap to Raymond Chandler, as private detective Teddy Hunter pursues a murderer into the ladies room of the legendary jazz club Slugs' in 1969 only to emerge into an entirely new world. Pianist Kweli Porter's short road trip as an unenthusiastic sideman into the deserts of New Mexico turns into a profoundly life-altering experience, while revealing totally buried realities of his past in "Catwalk to Ever." And the four musicians in "Exponent 4" find themselves in a sobering position of both opportunity and responsibility when they discover that the music they make together can actually alter reality.
Through Khan's fertile imagination, these stories are provocative, confrontational and contain highly ingenious twists and turns into the unexpected, but always with a healthy dose of humor, no matter how intense the circumstances may become.
Born in Brooklyn, Marty Khan's initiation into the New York City jazz scene began in 1964. As a young fan, he worked in record stores and frequented concert halls and clubs like Slugs' and the Five Spot. Thwarted in his attempt to flunk out of NYU in his sophomore year by the general student strike that closed down all colleges after Nixon's bombing of Cambodia, he dropped out three hours into his junior year to pursue his musicianship as a saxophonist in workshop performances and private studies with Sam Rivers at Studio Rivbea on the early Seventies loft scene. Beginning in the late Seventies, he was a manager, agent, promoter and producer for many of the most revered musicians on the cutting edge of jazz, forging new circuits of performance opportunities in the U.S. for artists such as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, George Russell, the World Saxophone Quartet, Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton and Sonny Fortune before branching out to work with choreographer Alwin Nikolais and composers Steve Reich and John Zorn. As an advocate for artist self-empowerment, he pioneered the use of the non-profit organization for jazz musicians and wrote the definitive how-to classic, "Straight Ahead: A Comprehensive Guide to the Business of Jazz (Without Sacrificing Dignity or Artistic Integrity)." Living in the desert mountains outside of Tucson, Arizona since 1994, he provides strategic planning and career development for artists and organizations while also writing bios, publicity and educational materials for artists and publicists, in addition to his fiction. Over the past 35 years he has achieved a widespread reputation as one of the most knowledgeable, committed and determined activists for the music and its creators. His background in all phases of the experience called jazz and his close relationship with many of its finest creators sets the stage for his singular brand of paranormal-tinged tales, Through the Membrane. Receive a short story by Marty Khan for free when you sign up at martykhan.org/freestory
