Jazz Articles about Mark Masters

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Mark Masters Ensemble: Ellington Saxophone Encounters

by Edward Blanco
September 6, 2012

Longtime big band arranger/bandleader Mark Masters happens to be President of the Pasadena, CA-based non-profit American Jazz Institute (AJI), while baritone saxophonist great Gary Smulyan sits on its Advisory Board. Together, the two have often joined forces on musical projects intended to foster and promote jazz; Ellington Saxophone Encounters is another one of their AJI collaborations, this time with the nine-piece Mark Masters Ensemble supplying the musical muscle.Don't be misled by the title of the album, this is ...

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Mark Masters Ensemble: Ellington Saxophone Encounters

by Dan Bilawsky
August 30, 2012

Countless albums have been made with the sole intention of honoring the great Duke Ellington by highlighting his personality, piano skills and pile of hits, but they don't tell the whole story; part of his legacy rests with the men who brought his music to life. The individuals who filled out the roster in Ellington's illustrious band earned their own place in history by shaping the sound and identity of his group so, rather than tread on well-worn ground, arranger ...

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Mark Masters Ensemble: Farewell Walter Dewey Redman

by Dan McClenaghan
November 26, 2008

It's hard to believe that Dewey Redman isn't still around when listening to Mark Masters Ensemble set, Farewell Walter Dewey Redman. Masters and the group--especially alto saxophonist Oliver Lake--capture the soul and sound of the unsung tenor titan on this marvelously inspired recording.Dewey Redman (1931-2006), the father of saxophonist Joshua Redman, is probably best known for his work with Ornette Coleman on albums like The Science Fiction Sessions (Columbia Records, 1972) and New York is Now (Blue Note ...

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Mark Masters Ensemble: Porgy & Bess Redefined!

by George Harris
September 5, 2005

Well, they said it couldn't be done, but he did it. Arranger Mark Masters has breathed new and refreshing life into Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. Just when you thought Miles may have had the last word back in '61, Masters adds a touch of Mingus, a sprig of Kenton, and songs that you've heard a thousand times sound new and enticing.

As with any stage production, it sure helps to have the right cast, and Masters has a ...

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Mark Masters Jazz Ensemble: Porgy & Bess Redefined

by Jack Bowers
May 6, 2005

In the seven decades since its completion, George Gershwin's landmark folk opera Porgy & Bess has been “redefined on a number of occasions by various jazz artists, perhaps most notably in 1959 by trumpeter Miles Davis with an orchestra conducted by arranger Gil Evans (a touchstone that was astutely reinterpreted only last year by Clark Terry with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble). Arranger Mark Masters now steps forward to take his shot, a well-aimed broadside that may not redefine Gershwin's groundbreaking ...

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Mark Masters: Honor Thy Fathers

by AAJ Staff
October 2, 2004

By Mark Masters Back in 1999, The American Jazz Institute embarked on a journey that has somehow lasted and continues to thrive at a small private college located in Southern California. The jazz program at Claremont McKenna College has three components. The first of which is a series of concerts that brings prominent jazz artists to the campus. Second, these artists - while they are on campus - sit with students (and me) to participate in our ...

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Mark Masters Ensemble with Lee Konitz: One Day With Lee

by Jerry D'Souza
May 24, 2004

To say that Lee Konitz has made some very valuable contributions to jazz would be stating the obvious. Now that I have done so, it is time to get on to his current recording.

Konitz stands amidst the Mark Masters Ensemble, a 14-piece band that gives the saxophonist the space to invent or re-invent tunes that he has written or has been associated with. Masters brings in the charts that give the music fresh vitality with his insight. ...