Mark Rapp

Mark Rapp may be one of the hardest working jazz musicians in New York City. Fortunately, for this South Carolina native, the passionate trumpeter and bandleader has seen that his persistence has paid off, being named one of the nation’s “top emerging jazz trumpeters” by Downbeat Magazine in 2007. Under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis, Rapp earned a Masters in Jazz from the University of New Orleans. After that Rapp moved to New York, where he has been rapidly climbing the ladder of success. ...

Mark Rapp may be one of the hardest working jazz musicians in New York City. Fortunately, for this South Carolina native, the passionate trumpeter and bandleader has seen that his persistence has paid off, being named one of the nation’s “top emerging jazz trumpeters” by Downbeat Magazine in 2007. Under the tutelage of Ellis Marsalis, Rapp earned a Masters in Jazz from the University of New Orleans. After that Rapp moved to New York, where he has been rapidly climbing the ladder of success. He has become one of the city’s busiest bandleaders. In addition to regular performances at the Carnegie Club, the National Urban League featured Rapp 3 years in a row as bandleader, composer and soloist during their annual EOE Awards Gala. Rapp has had the privilege to perform with Branford Marsalis,Walter Blanding, Jr., Wess Anderson, Wycliffe Gordon, Seamus Blake, John Ellis, Brad Leali, Rodney Green and more. In addition to leading the show, Rapp has toured with artist Darius Rucker, and has performed with rock acts Hootie & the Blowfish, Edwin McCain and Sister Hazel. Mark has had a myriad of guest appearances on everything from a Fox NFL commercial to NY artists Hired Goons, Charley Hustle and Shitake Monkey. Mark is also a prolific composer and has written music for a number of independent film projects including Friendship Hotel and Night and Day. He is a spokesman for SARAR clothing and other sponsorships are in the works. Staying true to his vision, Rapp consistently performs his originals and his arrangements: "I'm more interested in discovering and expressing the music in me – like Miles and Monk did... unique artists like Bjork, Radiohead and even Dr. Dre." Rapp says, "I'm bridging the gap between modern and contemporary jazz music. We're finding the fertile middle-ground between contemporary accessibility and modern jazz idealism." And for Rapp, this vision is paying off. His self-titled debut album, produced by Grammy award winner Jason Olaine (Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove) and engineered by LB Dorsey (The Roots, Beyonce, Solange), is due out this fall on Paved Earth Records. The marketing and publicity team comprise Verve Records veterans Michael Kauffman and Jai St. Laurent. Along with his regular appearance at New York’s Carnegie Club, Mark will be touring the country in support of CD this fall. He performs at the JVC Newport Jazz festival on Aug. 10. For more information on Mark, check out the following sources: http://www.markrapp.com www.youtube.com/markrappmusic