Mark Whitfield Essay
Mercurial guitarist Mark Whitfield got the jazz world s attention during the 90 s, when the NY Times
considered him The Best Young Guitarist in the Business . Despite speaking a vocabulary of his own,
his style is still influenced by his mentor George Benson, the one who recommended him to the
organist Jack McDuff.
Mark not only has collaborated with jazz legends such as Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown,
Stanley Turrentine, Ray Charles, and Jimmy Smith, but also with recent stars like Sting, Chris Botti,
Diana Krall, and Roy Hargrove.
Incursions on soul jazz, hard bop, and fusion can be easily spotted in Mark s style. However, he doesn
t stick to a particular style, also venturing himself in the rock music territory with sporadic
performances with Dave Matthews Band. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
and Verve. Released on the latter label, his 1994 album True Blue got critical acclaim and displayed an
all star lineup composed of Branford Marsalis on saxophones, Kenny Kirkland on piano, Nicholas
Payton on trumpet, Rodney Whitaker on bass, and Jeff Tain Watts on drums. Prior to that recording, he
had the privilege to be joined by jazz monsters like Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, and Jack DeJohnette in
Patrice (Warner Bros., 1991).
After sharing the stage so many times with his two sons (also Berklee graduates), Mark decided to
record his 12th album, Grace, with them. The Japanese bassist Yasushi Nakamura, who won the title
honorary Whitfield family member from the patriarch, joins the pianist Davis Whitfield and the
drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. The brothers names were announced for trumpeter Freddie Hendrix s
upcoming concerts and the drummer was summoned by pianist Orrin Evans for his latest album
#knowingishalfthebattle.
Just like his previous Songs of Wonder, a softhearted celebration of Stevie Wonder s hits, Grace was
released on his own label,
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