This weekend (July 24 & 25), trumpeter and composer Mark Rapp and his NY-based band will come back for a second year in a row bringing his original sounds of contemporary/modern Jazz to Florence, Alabama at the 28th annual WC Handy Festival. Past festivals have had such greats as Dizzy Gillispie, Take6, Henry Butler, Ellis Marsalis and more and Rapp duly notes, “I'm very excited to be back south and honored to play such a highly regarded festival."

One event Rapp is looking forward to is giving a music clinic for the C.I.T.Y. Program (Community Intensive Treatment for Youth) on Friday morning. Rapp says, “This is one of the main reasons I work so hard at playing music - to have the opportunity to encourage and inspire people of all ages to arise to the occasion, find happiness in the journey and to achieve their dreams."

The C.I.T.Y. Program is a group of teachers and counselors who work daily with court- appointed youth to provide academic remediation, intensive therapeutic intervention, physical education, and transitional follow-up into the world of college or work.

Later that Friday, the Mark Rapp Group will be a part of the Riverside Jazz concerts in McFarland Park and on Saturday, MRG will present an up-close-and-personal concert in the Zodiac theatre.

“One can't help but sense a distinct identity to Rapp in both his composing and playing... and for this reason, we will be hearing a lot more from him." – Jazz Improv NY Magazine

The Mark Rapp Group has played sold out shows at the Blue Note (NY), Joe's Pub, Yoshi's (San Fran) and such venues as the JVC Newport Jazz Festival, Dizzy's at Jazz Lincoln Center, JazzTime Festival (Croatia), Jazzland (Vienna), Jazz Standard (NY) and more. Mark was named a “top emerging trumpeter" by Downbeat Magazine, featured on a Travel Channel documentary and has played with Branford Marsalis (see video on his web site) to Hootie and the Blowfish and most recently recorded with Don Braden and Gerald Clayton. His debut record Token Tales is critically acclaimed and being played on radio stations around the globe.