Martin Allan Lass (born August 6, 1958) is an American violinist and sometime astrologer, who grew up, and started his performance career, in Australia. Lass was a practising professional astrologer from the late 1980s until the mid-2000s. He has written astrological books and articles, and given presentations to astrological societies.
Biography Martin Lass was born in Chicago in 1958 to Earle Lass (born 1931) and Ruth (born 1933); he has two siblings. At the age of eight, he became interested in playing violin after seeing Yehudi Menuhin on a TV show. The Lass family migrated to Australia in 1969.
He studied violin at the Sydney Conservatorium with John Gould, Robert Pikler and Lim Kek Tjiang. After graduating, he joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra. He also played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra).
Lass was a contestant on Bert Newton's TV talent quest, New Faces, in 1982, winning the Grand Final 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. He supported major stars such as Luciano Pavarotti, Julio Iglesias, Kamahl and Joan Baez. He won the Mo Award for Instrumental Act for eight years consecutively, from 1984 to 1991.Martin Lass at the Mo Awards: 1984 Instrumental Act winner: 1985 Instrumental Act winner: 1986 Instrumental Act winner: 1987 Instrumental Act winner: 1988 Instrumental Vocal Instrumental Act winner: 1989 Instrumental/Vocal Instrumental Act winner: 1990 Instrumental Act winner: 1991 Instrumental Act winner: 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." He was voted the Variety Club Artist of the Year 1990. 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."
Lass returned to the United States in the 2000s, for ten years, and has periodically returned to Australia. In 2002 he recorded his ninth album, Sonnet, at Galactic Studios in Nyack, New York. For that album he provided art direction, design, audio engineer, keyboards, mastering, mixing engineer, piano, producer, and violin. 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."
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. Theme & Variations Piano School They have three children and two grandchildren. Lass was a practising professional astrologer from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s. He has written astrological books and articles, and given presentations to astrological societies. His book, Chiron – Healing Body and Soul, 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.
Compositions "Stories of Ray Bradbury" (1981) – Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra & BBC Philharmonic "Six Pieces for String Orchestra" (1980) – West Australian Symphony Orchestra under Dobbs Franks "Four Pieces for Violin and Piano 1980" – The Seymour Group directed by Vincent Plush, performed by John Harding and David Stanhope (pianist), Sunday, 22 June 1980 NASA – Soundtrack for NASA's video, “3 Years of Sun in 3 Minutes” (Song: “A Lady's Errand of Love”) ( @ 0:19s) 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) 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.
Discography Studio albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chartpositions AUS Gypsy Airs Released: 1983 Label: EMI (EMC-2768) Format: LP — String Sensations Released: February 1986 Label: G & R, WEA (600139-1) Format: LP 42 One Love Released: May 1988 Label: Paganini Promotions (PAG 790511) Format: LP, cassette 83 Bach to the Future Released: 1989 Label: Paganini Promotions (PAG 793491) Format: LP — Songs Without Words Released: April 1991 Label: Paganini Promotions (CD PAG 796359) Format: CD 33 One Love Released: May 1997 Label: MRA (MR60022) Format: CD 96 Full circle Released: 1998 Label: MRA Format: CD — The Gypsy Fiddler Released: 1999 Label: Galactic Music Format: CD — Sonnet Released: 2002 Label: MRA Format: CD — Take a Bow: The Ultimate Collection Released: 2011 Label: Fanfare Format: CD — Home for Christmas Released: 2014 Label: EMI Format: CD —
Awards Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Martin Lass won 7 awards in that time. (wins only) |- | 1984 | Martin Lass | Instrumentalist of the Year
| 1985 | Martin Lass | Instrumentalist of the Year
| 1986 | Martin Lass | Instrumentalist of the Year
| 1987 | Martin Lass | Instrumentalist of the Year
| 1988 | Martin Lass | Instrumental Act of the Year
| 1989 | Martin Lass | Instrumental Act of the Year
| 1990 | Martin Lass | Instrumental Act of the Year
Bibliography
References
External links
Lass at Discogs website