Final Stages of Poetry Book
Some final editing has been done on the long awaited collection of original poetry, "The Cry of the Lonely, the Song of the Poet: Collected Poems 1972-2006". New York Jewish Week Letter
On April 18, 2014, a letter on international politics was published. Cleveland Jewish News Letter
On March 28, 2014, a letter concerning the Cleveland Indians was published. New York Jewish Week Letter
On Sept 6, 2013, a letter regarding Jewish identity was published. Solo Performance at Roulette
Mark appeared at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY on March 27th 2013 giving a solo piano performance for the Peter Cox Musical Memorial. Peter was a dedicated jazz fan and friend of his. Mark opened the star-studded event in Brooklyn, delivering a tribute speech about Peter Cox, and performed an original composition for solo piano to much acclaim. The performance was caught on video and will be available in the near future. Wikipedia listing
Mark has been given a Wikipedia listing! A very lengthly bio, discography, art profile and other information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Jones_(musician) or by Googling “Mark Jones Musician Wikipedia.” "Memories of the Future" CD
Mark’s latest recording “Memories of the Future” will be released very soon. It is a CD of solo piano works from 2 different sessions in the 1980’s. There are 4 tracks, including "Inner Odyssey” which he later performed live and was released on his CD of the same name. Mark is also designing the cover artwork. New York Times Letter
On May 3, 2012, Mark appeared in the New York Times Book Review section with a letter relating to African-American iconography: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/06/books/review/a-master-thief.html New York Jewish Week Letter
On May 1st, 2012 Mark’s letter was published in the New York Jewish Week on the subject of Jewish atheism" http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial_opinion/letters/finest_essay_yet New Essay Completed
Mark has finished a critical study of Bob Dylan's song "Visions of Johanna." It examines the symbolism and meaning of the lyrics as poem, in the context of the music and of existential thought. Hopefully it will be published soon. To read the work, click here. Newly Published in The New York Times
MJ's critique of former Browns and current Jets receiver Braylon Edwards appears in the 8/15/10 Sunday Sports section of the NY Times. MJ on Broadway is Available!
At long last, Mark’s latest recording, "Live at Iridium" has been released and is available for purchase on this site. The performance of Mark and his band "Sound Sculpture," was recorded at the world famous
Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway at 51st in NYC on July 29th, 2009. By all accounts, it was an electrifying
set of MJ originals, with Mark’s Steinway grand piano joined by an ensemble of renowned New York
virtuosi on electric violin, bass, drums and percussion. The tunes are very melodic and memorable, yet
forged with challenging, abstract improvisations. The poet Jeff Schwartz, author of "Contending with the
Dark" and teacher at the Greenwich Academy, was inspired to write a poem about the evening (click on the link to read it).
In addition to a live, mobile multi-track recording by Leslie Bloome, there was a 2 camera shoot of the
performance, that was edited into a DVD. 3 versions of the concert are available: the CD of the 7 songs,
the DVD of the 7 songs, and a special edition version that includes Mark telling stories between songs
about how he came to compose each work. So if you want to just watch and listen to the music, buy
the regular DVD. If you want to experience the whole concert as it was presented with the story-telling,
purchase the special edition. The first 2 formats are 1 hour long, and the special edition is about 90 minutes. A couple of clips from the DVD are posted below and on Youtube. New Endorsement
Marcos Valle is one of the most venerated composers and performers in the history of Brazilian music,
with a career spanning nearly 50 years. His 1965 hit, "Samba de Verão," in English -- "So Nice (Summer
Samba)" is probably the most recorded Brazilian song in history after "the Girl from Ipanema," and he’s
worked with everyone from Sinatra to Sergio Mendes to the band Chicago. Mark met Marcos in Rio 3
years ago and sent him a copy of his Brazilian music EP "BossAmerioca." In June, 2010, the two met
up again at Marcos’ Birdland gig, and Marcos told Mark how much he enjoyed the CD. They discussed
the fine points of some of Mark’s arrangements, and Marcos was eager to hear Mark’s ensuing "Live
at Iridium" release. Marcos joins such fellow Brazilian legends as Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, and
Rio institutions such as the Vinicius Piano Bar and the Bossa Nova Museum and record store -- Toca da
Vinicius in praising Mark’s Brazilian music. Cleveland Performance
On Saturday, July 3rd, Mark joined old 1960’s Mo Schwartz Blues Band bandmate, west-coast guitarist
Darryl Berk to play a few tunes at their 40th high school reunion at the Hilton Garden Inn in Cleveland.
Mark sang and played keys on a rousing rendition of Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower" to the
enthusiastic delight of his Beachwood High classmates. Acclaimed recording artist Marty Goetz from
Nashville also joined them on vocals on a couple other tunes.
MJ is Published Again
In the latest issue of Downbeat Magazine (August 2010), with fellow ex-Clevelander Joe Lovano on
the cover, Mark has a letter published that corrects journalist Ken Micallef’s errors concerning the
discography of British guitarist John McLaughlin, with regards to the chronology of his recordings of John
Coltrane material.
On September 25, 2009, Mark had a letter published in the New York Jewish Week concerning anti-war
politics of the 60’s, and in the November 13th issue of the same publication, the lead letter on the subject
of the philosophy of faith.
