Mark Fransman (also known as Sonik Citizen) is a highly acclaimed jazz and Afrosoul musician, 2 times SAMA award winner and multi instrumentalist in South Africa. He has musical projects in both genres of Jazz and AfroSoul -
Introducing Sonik Citizen is a new album, released by Milestones Studios:https://music.apple.com/us/album/introducing-sonik-citizen-and-cape-tone/1618960550
Here’s a link to the recent album: https://open.spotify.com/album/3WsNE3EH5nRtaNlidZzXb and the album release: https://youtu.be/vn4_ZIfMR_k
In addition to this, he is also currently performing with his Homage jazz quartet which is simply fantastic jazz. The Mark Fransman ‘Homage’ Quartet’ celebrates some of South Africa’s most iconic jazz musicians and seeks to spotlight them as national treasures. The quartet pays homage to such greats as Zim Ngqawana, Winston Mankunku, Hotep Galeta, Sibongile Khumalo, Errol Dyers, Robbie Jansen, Bheki Mselekuto mention but a few. Each ‘tribute’ comes in the form of an original composition (or suite), composed by Fransman. These songs are inspired by the musicality and personality specific to each of these treasured musicians. The compositions reflects on Fransman’s personal & professinal relationships with each dedicatee, some of whom have mentored Mark in his formative years.
Here is a clip from recent Homage compositions on his YouTube channel:
https://youtube.com/c/SonikCitizen
Also please have a look at Mark’s phenomenal skill playing piano and sax at the same time:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CjTKcBNM63t/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
ARTISTS
He has performed and worked with the likes of Pharaoh Sanders, Manu Dibango, Johnny Clegg, Finley Quay, Sibongile Khumalo, Louis Moholo, Winston Mankunku, Hein van de Geyn, Zim Nqwana, Vicky Samson, Selealo Selota, Judith Sepuma, Errol Dyers, Jimmy Dlu Dlu and on the same stage with such jazz artists as Cedar Walton, Andrew Hill, Donald Brown, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Danilo Perez and Yusef Lateef.
AWARDS
As a producer Mark has been awarded two SAMA Awards (South African Music Awards). This award is currently South Africa’s premier music award.
In 2004 he won the Best Producer Award for Jimmy Dlu Dlu’s‘Afrocentric’ and in 2007 he also won the Best Producer Award for Moreira Chonguisa’s ‘The Journey’.
He also has three years of musical theatre experience in musicals ‘Poison’ and ‘Kat and the Kings’ (Both David Kramer/TaliepPetersen productions), and received the FNB Vita Award for most outstanding performer in musical theatre (1995/96) for the latter.
Has also won the UCT Adcock Ingram (Jazz) competition of 2000 for Jazz.
In recognition of Mark’s musicianship and talent, he was awarded as Johnnie Walker’s ‘Musician of the year for 2004’.
One of Mark’s most prestiges achievements is that he has been awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award. Prior recipients of this award has been the likes of Johnny Clegg and SibongeleKhumalo.
PRODUCING
Besides performing Mark is a multi-award winning producer.
He has produced music for albums released on various record labels for various artists to critical acclaim.
Among these are Jimmy Dlu Dlu’s album ‘Affrocentric’, with Universal Records (on which he has plays and produced).
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He also produced Moreira Chonguisa’s debut album, The Journey, for More Productions in 2005. He has also co-produced Moreira’s newest album, Citizen of the world, which won the SAMA for best album in 2009.
Mark also produced the album ‘Our language’ of the group Tribe with Ready Rolled Records in 2003. The latter is a group of which Mark is both a composer and pianist.
Mark has also produced his own band, Strait and Narro, the album called, Ahead, for Tritone records. The album received rave reviews rating 4 and 5 stars in all major publications. Mark is also the Executive producer on the album.
Jazz singer, Emily Bruce’s debut album, I’ll Be Seeing You, was produced by Mark in 2008. This album features some of Cape Town’s very best Jazz musicians such as Basil Moses, Alvin Dyers and the late Nick Le Roux.
Mark’s productions also include his own album entitled, Long time coming, on his own label (Tritone Records) recorded in his own studio (Tritone Studios) in 2008. He also produced Moreira Chonguisa’s latest album entitled Volume 2 for More Productions in 2008.
He has also produced, fellow Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner of 2009, Kesivan Naidoo’s debut which was produce and recorded in Åsby, Sweden.
Tina Schouw’s latest album, Winds Call, is on the list of Mark’s latest works as producer, also among these is South African veteran singer, Gavin Minter’s new album, Silent Solace, and new-comer Bronwyn Reddy’s, Solo. Both of the latter albums were recorded and produced at Mark’s Tritone Studios.
FESTIVALS
Mark has performed on such stages in Europe as the Euro De Afrique festival in Italy (Along with such names as Yusuf N’dour and Papa Wemba), the North Sea Jazz Festival, in The Hague, Holland (more than once),
the Swedish Jazz Celebration in Sweden, Stockholme, the Leipzig Jazz Festival, Germany, the Edge of Wrong Festival in Øslo, Norway and the Vadsø International Festival, Norway.
In South Africa he frequents the stages of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, National Arts Festival and Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festivals on a regular basis. Playing with local artists, the likes of Jimmy Dludlu, Zim Nqwana, Feya Faku, Hilton Schilder, Victor Masondo, Gloria Bosman, Marcus Wyatt and Errol Dyers to mention a few.
RECORDING
He has recorded with Errol Dyers on his album ‘Kou-Kou Wa’, Steve Dyer on ‘Life Cycle’ and ‘Native’, McCoy Mrubata’sBraskap and Marcus Wyatt’s album, ‘Africans in space’ all with the Sheer sound recording company.
He has also recorded with Jimmy Dlu Dlu on his albums ‘Winds of change’ and ‘Afrocentric’ for Universal Music.
On independent labels Mark has recorded with Gabi Leroux, Tony Cedras, Cedric Samson, Mel Scholtz, Tina Schouw, Moreira Chonguisa, Tribe, Kesivan Naidooto mention a few.
Awards
AWARDS
As a producer Mark has been awarded two SAMA Awards (South African Music Awards). This award is currently South Africa’s premier music award.
In 2004 he won the Best Producer Award for Jimmy Dlu Dlu’s‘Afrocentric’ and in 2007 he also won the Best Producer Award for Moreira Chonguisa’s ‘The Journey’.
He also has three years of musical theatre experience in musicals ‘Poison’ and ‘Kat and the Kings’ (Both David Kramer/TaliepPetersen productions), and received the FNB Vita Award for most outstanding performer in musical theatre (1995/96) for the latter.
Has also won the UCT Adcock Ingram (Jazz) competition of 2000 for Jazz.
In recognition of Mark’s musicianship and talent, he was awarded as Johnnie Walker’s ‘Musician of the year for 2004’.
One of Mark’s most prestiges achievements is that he has been awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award. Prior recipients of this award has been the likes of Johnny Clegg and SibongeleKhumalo.
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