MARK WHITFIELD

Mark Whitfield (c. 1967) is an American hard bop and soul-jazz guitarist born in Syosset, New York, probably better known for his recordings as bandleader for both the Verve and Warner Bros. Records record labels. He has worked with Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, Courtney Pine and Nicholas Payton, among others.

References

Yanow, Scott. "Mark Whitfield Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.

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Mark Whitfield graduated from Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, the world's foremost institute for the study of Jazz and modern American music, in the Spring of 1987 having studied composition and arranging as well as all styles of guitar performance. Upon graduation, he returned to his native New York to embark on a career as a jazz guitarist that afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with many legendary artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Clark Terry, Jimmy Smith, Carmen McCrae, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Jack McDuff, Betty Carter, Shirley Horn, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight, Burt Bacharach, Joe Williams, Wynton Marsalis, Bradford Marsalis, Stanley Turrentine and his greatest teacher and mentor George Benson.

Along the way, the New York Times dubbed Whitfield "The Best Young Guitarist in the Business" and in September of 1990 Warner Bros. released his solo debut, "The Marksman". The success of this release has led to a recording career that has produced 14 solo projects to date and a myriad of collaborative efforts with some of the most important artists in recent years; Sting, D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, John Mayer, Jill Scott, Roy Hargrove, Diana Krall, Lauryn Hill, Sy Smith and Chris Botti.

In September of 2005, Mark Whitfield accepted the invitation to join the faculty at his alma mater, teaming up with Joe Lovano, Ralph Peterson, Danilo Perez, and Terry Lynn Carrington as "Artists in Residence" at the Berklee School.

While maintaining a teaching schedule that requires his presence on campus 1 day a week for 14 weeks/per semester, and a touring schedule that includes at least 100 concert dates/per year with trumpeter Chris Botti, Whitfield still manages to remain active as a solo artist and 2008-2009 will see the release of his latest solo effort; a Stevie Wonder tribute entitled "Songs Of Wonder" and 2 collaborative projects with long time friends Christian McBride and Nicholas Payton.

Selected Discography:

"TheMarksman" (Warner Bros)

"Patrice" (WarnerBros)
"Mark Whitfield" (Warner Bros)
"True Blue" (Verve/Polygram)
"7th Avenue Stroll" (Verve/Polygram)
"Forever Love" (Verve/Polygram)
"Take The Ride" (Verve/Polygram)
"Fingerpainting" (Verve/Polygram)
"Soul Conversation" (Transparent Music)
"Raw" (Transparent Music)
"Trio Paradise" (Vega Records)
"Mark Whitfield & The Groove Masters" (Vega Records)
"Panther" (Dirty Soap Entertainment)

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Mark Whitfield graduated from Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music in 1987 where he studied composition, arranging, film scoring and conducting as well as all styles of guitar performance. Later on that year, he returned to his native New York, and immediately began his professional career. Within a few months, he had begun to perform and record with many well-known artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey, Jack McDuff, Betty Carter, Carmen McCrae, Dianne Reeves, Joe Williams, Cleo Laine, Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard,
Stanley Turrentine, Clark Terry and many more.

As a result of the popularity awarded gained while amassing this impressive resume, Whitfield was dubbed "The Best Young Guitarist In The Business", by The New Tork Times. In September of 1990, Warner Brothers Records released Whitfield's debut solo recording, "The Marksman" to widespread critical acclaim and impressive sales. In the decade to follow Whitfield released two subsequent recordings for Warner Brothers, five for Polygram's Verve Label, and two for Herbie Hancock's ground breaking label, Transparent Music. Along the way, Whitfield's musical interests began to expand, taking him out of the realm of traditional jazz and into collaborations with popular music superstars like D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige, Take 6, The Roots, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, George Benson, B.B. King, Ashford and Simpson and the great Quincy Jones. Mark's music has also found its way into the world of television and feature film. These projects include twelve episodes of the ABC television series "Moon Over Miami", performing with Wynton Marsalis on the soundtrack for the film "Tune In Tomorrow", starring Peter Falk, and for one season of NBC Television's "Shannon's Deal", performing the soundtrack and making cameo appearances with Harry Belafonte and Jennifer Jason Leigh in the Robert Altman film "Kansas City" and performing with Terence Blanchard on the soundtrack for the HBO film "The Soul of the Game". In addition, a Whitfield original composition entitled "The Blues From Way Back" ,taken from his cd "The Marksman", aappears on the soundtrack for the feature film "One Night Stand" starring Nastassia Kinski, Wesley Snipes and Robert Downey Jr.