Mark Lockheart

Mark Lockheart is one of the most distinctive and creative musicians on the current British music scene. As a saxophonist and composer, his work often defies categorisation and crosses the boundaries of the jazz, new music and folk worlds. "Lockheart is a consummate saxophonist and a original and versatile composer" The Rough Guide to Jazz.

Mark came to prominence in the mid 1980s with the influential and radical big band Loose Tubes, which he toured with throughout the USA and Europe and recorded with until its demise in 1989.

The formation of the co-led Perfect Houseplants in 1992 saw the emergence of one of Mark's most important projects, which is still very much developing today. Perfect Houseplants has released six albums and is involved in several crossover projects such as its collaborations with the Orlando Consort (Extempore, 1998), with baroque violinist Andrew Manze.

In the mid-nineties Mark toured and recorded with Django Bates' Delightful Precipice, performing at many international festivals including Berlin, Molde and Willisau, and recording with jazz, folk and pop artists June Tabor, Billy Jenkins, Stereolab, Jah Wobble, Robert Wyatt, Prefab Sprout, Don Um Romao ,Thomas Dolby, and more recently Anja Garbarek and Radiohead.

In 1997 Mark was awarded the Peter Whittingham Award to record his semi-orchestral 11-piece group the Scratch Band. This formed the basis of Through Rose-Coloured Glasses, which was released in 1998 to critical acclaim and voted by Time Out as one of the Top Ten albums of 1998.

A commission from the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and Birmingham Jazz led to a suite of pieces inspired by dance forms, which formed the basis for the Scratch Band's second album, Imaginary Dances (Staytuned Records, 2002).
In 2005 Mark released Moving Air (basho records), featuring John Parricelli, Martin France and Mark's muti-tracked reeds this album has been described as his most personal album yet. A major Arts Council funded tour to promote the album took place Oct/Nov 2005.
In 2007 Mark was featured soloist ( along with John Pattitucci and Gwilym Simcock) in Mark Anthony Turnage's About Water which was premiered on the Southbank in June 2007. This year see's Mark playing another Turnage piece, A Man Descending with the Southbank Sinfonia.

Current projects include the Mark Lockheart's In Deep ( a new band with Liam Noble, Jasper Hoiby, Dave Smith and Dave Priseman) Seb Rochford's Polar Bear, Perfect Houseplants, Disassembler and Robert Wyatts Soup Songs. Finally , early 2010 sees the release of Marks first big band album Days Like These released on the fuzzymoon record label and featuring 7 new original compositions played by Mark with the NDR Big Band.

http://www.MarkLockheart.co.uk

Forthcoming Events

Devon
24th April 2010
South West Music School, Dartington
NYJC professional concert

Devon
25th April 2010
South West Music School, Dartington
CPD, YMW & family concert

Rotheram
29th April 2010
Thurcroft Junior School
Young Musicians Workshop Evening

Rotheram
8th May 2010
Thurcroft Junior School
Young Musicians Workshop

London
9th May 2010
Kings Place
Young Musicians Workshop

London
6th June 2010
Kings Place
Young Musicians Workshop

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