Martin "Marty" M Sheller

Martin (Marty)  M. Sheller age 82 of Newark, Delaware passed away on Friday September 16, 2022 in Newark, Delaware at the age of 82.

The funeral service will be held on Monday, October 3, 2022 at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 199 Wallace Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335. Visitation will be held from 9:00 am until 11:00 am prior to the funeral service. Burial will follow at Philadelphia Memorial Park Cemetery, 124 Phoenixville Pike, Frazer, PA 19355.

Marty Sheller (born March 15, 1940, Newark, New Jersey) was an American jazz trumpeter and arranger, who played primarily in latin jazz idioms.

Sheller initially studied percussion, but switched to trumpet as a teenager. He played with Hugo Dickens in Harlem, and arranged for Sabu Martinez, and began working with Afro-Latin percussionists such as Louie Ramirez and Frankie Malabe. In 1962 he became a trumpeter in Mongo Santamaria's band, and worked with Santamaria for more than forty years as a composer and arranger. He also had an extensive association with Fania Records as a house arranger, working with Joe Bataan, Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Larry Harlow, Hector Lavoe, and Ismael Miranda. Outside of Fania, he arranged for musicians such as George Benson, David Byrne, Jon Faddis, Giovanni Hidalgo, T.S. Monk, Idris Muhammad, Manny Oquendo, Dave Pike, Tito Puente, Shirley Scott, Woody Shaw, Lew Soloff, and Steve Turre. In the 2000s, he led his own ensemble, which included the sidemen Chris Rogers, Joe Magnarelli, Sam Burtis, Bobby Porcelli, Bob Franceschini, Oscar Hernández, Ruben Rodriquez, Vince Cherico, and Steve Berrios. Marty was actively  composing music until his passing.

Marty is survived by his wife Marilyn Sheller and other family and friends.

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