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Mark "Doc" Shellhammer
I'm located in the Orlando area which is rich in entertainment opportunities. I'm the inventor of the RingMute dampening ring for Bb trumpet and the author of the S.P.I.T. Book (scales, patterns, inversions, triads) which is a new methodology for learning musical improvisation. I've been blessed to have played with many of the greats and still perform. I also teach trumpet and one of the hardest things is to get a student to understand that the trumpet does not have to be an instrument of acoustic destruction and there's more to trumpet than double high C. Learning to be lyrical, sensitive, and how to make the audience cry. That's when you get to the big stuff. That's not to say that intensity and range are not important, you need it in your tool box too. But the trumpet is a "singing" instrument (notice I put vocal in the genre) and my tidbit of advice: never blow air into a trumpet. Breathe life into the trumpet. A good question to ask is "How is this done"? A little rethinking is involved. How many times have you read or heard about trumpet players doing sit-ups to strengthen their abdominal muscles in order to play in the upper register? Let's first look at what make the tone or pitch when we play. It's the size of the aperture, period. The smaller the aperture, the higher the pitch, the bigger the aperture, the lower the pitch. Here's where the thinking changes. Let the aperture determine how tense the abdomen needs to be. Not "I'm going to tighten my abdomen to play in the upper register". Most trumpet player blow way too hard for the work that's needed. Here's a little experiment to show you what I mean; Blow into an empty paper towel roll with a steady unforced stream of air. While doing this, pay particular attention to what your abdomen is doing. It might be only a little tight. Next Blow the same steady unforced stream of air through a small straw or coffee stir. What happened!? The abdomen tighten on it's own! You did not have to do anything. So, the secret is to teach the abdomen to respond to what the aperture tells it to do. It's all about "YOU" not purposely crunching your abdominals to play in the upper register. I've seen people pass out using this method. Allow your aperture will tell the abdominals what to do.
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Smoke Jazz Club Announces September 2026 Line-up Highlighted By Two Of Today’s Leading Trombonists And Mark Turner Quartet’s Album Release Show
Source:
AMT Public Relations
SMOKE Jazz Club announced an exciting line-up for September 2026. The month kickstarts with a longtime SMOKE audience favorite: pianist George Cables leading his Quartet with soulful vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles (Sep 2-6). For two consecutive weeks, a pair of master trombonists lead their respective sextets: Steve Davis (Sep 9-13) followed by Steve Turre (Sep 16-20). The month concludes with the return of Walter Smith III debuting an incredible ensemble slated to premiere a Chamber Music America-commissioned work (Sep 23-27) ...
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Mark Winkler & London's Claire Martin Team For Fundraising Concert To Benefit Animals
Source:
Mouthpiece Music
Mark Winkler and Claire Martin Live at Catalina Jazz Club Fundraising Concert To Benefit Richard Del Belso Animal Rescue On Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM, Award-winning British jazz vocalist Claire Martin and acclaimed American singer-songwriter Mark Winkler will reunite for a special one-night-only concert at Catalina Jazz Club on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at 7:30 PM. The evening will benefit Richard Del Belso Animal Rescue while celebrating the life and legacy of Winkler’s late husband, whose love of ...
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New Single 'Urban Tribal Dance' by Pianist Julio Awad featuring Mike Stern, Paul Wertico & Mark Egan
Source:
Julio Awad
Release Date: February 14, 2026 Available Worldwide on All Streaming Platforms Overview “Urban Tribal Dance” is a high-impact instrumental single where primal rhythm collides with modern urban energy. Driven by explosive grooves, powerful melodic lines and bold improvisation, the track delivers a cinematic fusion experience that feels both ancestral and contemporary. This release positions Julio Awad within the international contemporary jazz and fusion scene through a collaboration with three globally respected musician The Collaboration The single features: Mike Stern ...
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Mark Kostabi To Host Exclusive Salon Concert At His Rome Villa On Friday, July 18, 2025
Source:
Robert C. Ford
On Friday, July 18, 2025, internationally renowned artist and musician Mark Kostabi, famed for painting the iconic Guns N’ Roses Use Your Illusion album cover, will open the doors of his luxury villa in Rome, Italy, for an intimate salon concert. In addition to his celebrated visual art, Kostabi is an accomplished composer and pianist whose collaborations include jazz legend Ornette Coleman. For this special evening, he will be joined by a lineup of acclaimed performers, including: Tony Esposito: legendary ...
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Doc: The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
From 1957 to 1965, photographer W Eugene Smith lived in loft space at 821 Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. Smith had already established himself as a pioneer of the journalistic photo essay—a collection of images that told a story in magazines, most notably Life. Before the rise of the documentary in the early 1960s with the advent of the portable shoulder camera, Smith's photo montages served the same purpose in still images. In 1957, Smith left his wife and four children ...
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Mark Watkins Enhances His Celebrated Saxophone Quartet With 'Four + Six,' To Be Released March 29 On Jazz Hang Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Mark Watkins envelops his long-running saxophone quartet in lush, billowing textures on FOUR + Six, the band’s deliriously tuneful sixth album, set for a March 29 release on Jazz Hang Records. Watkins augments the core quartet of himself (soprano and tenor saxophones), Sandon Mayhew (tenor sax), Ray Smith (alto sax), and Jon Gudmundson (baritone sax) with Corey Christiansen (guitar); a three-piece rhythm section of Justin Nielsen (piano), Braun Khan (bass), and Kobie Watkins (no relation, drums); and the esteemed Gardner ...
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Takeru Saito: The Japanese Pianist Making His Mark On The Music Industry
Source:
All About Jazz
Japanese pianist Takeru Saito has signed deals to perform with his band, The Takeru Saito Trio, in high-profile events in the United States during the next three years. Takeru Saito, a pianist, recording artist, and household name in Japan has formed partnerships with some of the most important jazz venues in the United States to perform in ongoing concert series for the next three years. These venues include Boston’s legendary Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club, which is one of the country’s ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Doc Cheatham
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Doc Cheatham's birthday today!
One of the very last survivors of the early days of jazz, trumpeter Adolphus “Doc" Cheatham attracted attention from the historically- inclined right up to his death in 1997 at the age of 91. His career recapitulated much of the history of jazz as a whole: he came of age hearing and playing with the New Orleans masters of the music's classic period; he participated in the big band movement that ...
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MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) To Release 'In The Rain Shadow'
Source:
Keith James
Following the release of Places in 2017 and Interconnected in 2020, composer/guitarist Mark Vickness announces the release of In The Rain Shadow with a newly expanded group, MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) comprising two time Grammy winning violinist, Mads Tolling, Matt Renzi on oboe/English horn and saxophone, cellist Joseph Hebert, Dan Feiszli on upright and electric bass and a percussion section featuring tabla virtuoso, Ty Burhoe and Grammy winning percussionist, MB Gordy in addition to Mark’s acoustic and electric guitars. Says ...
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Mark "Doc" Shellhammer
Instrument: Trumpet
