Mars Scarazzo

Hear is a little video you all might enjoy. Mars is a great story teller and I stop by his little shop once or twice a week when I'm in town. He's 85 and still going strong.

He has photos hanging on his walls of the old days with him and all the greats. One photo in particular is of him playing along the Korean War front sitting behind a bass drum, a snare and a hi hat. I asked "Where's the rest of your kit"? And he responded "Man, they were shooting at me. That's all I could carry at one time". He then points to a hole in the bass drum head, "that one almost got me".

"85-year-old drum teacher Mars Scarazzo still inspiring students in Ambridge" 22 Sept. 2025

"I still play a little bit now and then," 85-year-old drummer Marcello "Mars" Scarazzo said last week from behind the counter of his Merchant Street drum shop. "A little rock 'n' roll, a little jazz." "Sometimes I'll play with a band if they ask me, but they usually don't call me back once they find out how old I am," Scarazzo said with a twinkle in his eyes to leave you wondering how serious he's being. Never much for boasting or biographies, Scarazzo has a resume that includes drumming with the famed Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and band leaders Ray Anthony and Stan Kenton, not to mention those Las Vegas gigs he played when Frank Sinatra and Don Rickles were on stage.

Yet when people in these parts talk about the man they simply call "Mars," they tout his influence as a teacher. “Mars has been my hero since I was 15 years old," said Mark Groom, drummer for Pittsburgh's nationally known vocal group the Skyliners. "He’s been teacher, mentor and, most of all, friend. Because of his influence and encouragement, I have never had a job my whole life except for playing the drums, and I have him to thank."

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"Mars Scarazzo, esteemed local drummer, remembered" 31 Dec. 2020

He drummed for Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas and performed with famed acts like the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Stan Kenton and Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Mars Scarazzo's drumming prowess was world caliber, though Beaver County remained his home and the place the Aliquippa native performed the most. Even after turning 90 years old this past April, Scarazzo still could be found drumming in his Ambridge music shop. Upon opening this upcoming April, the Performing Arts Legends Museum in Ambridge planned to make Scarazzo its first artist-in-residence.

Though the beats wouldn't last forever.

Scarazzo, the master at rhythm, died Dec. 29 at Heritage Valley Hospital in Sewickley.

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Maybe one day, DrummerWorld will be the place that some of us are remembered. We make our mark, we try to give some joy to the world, and hopefully we leave something beautiful to be remembered by.