Resume & Biography

Here's a Brief Summary of Mark's Resume

Recordings as Leader: The Return Of Mark Elf 2014 - Jen Bay Records, Inc. with Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, David Hazeltine & Steve Kroon - #1 Jazz Week Chart for 2 weeks. Liftoff - 2006 Jen Bay Records with Lewis Nash, Peter Washington & David Hazeltine. Glad To Be Back 2004 Jen Bay Records with Lewis Nash, Peter Washington & David Hazeltine - #1 for 3 weeks on Jazz Week National Radio Chart. Dream Steppin' - 2002 Jen Bay Records featuring Neal Miner and Lewis Nash Swingin' - 2001 Jen Bay Records featuring Robert Hurst, Winard Harper & Aaron Goldberg #1 for two weeks and his 6th Consecutive #1 recording on USA Jazz Rado. Live At Smalls-2000-Jen Bay Records-featuring Neal Miner & Joe Strausser. Over The Airwaves-2000-Jen Bay Records-#1 Gavin Jazz Chart 2 weeks featuring Jay Leonhart & Ralph Peterson. New York Cats-1999-Jen Bay Records #1 Gavin Jazz Chart 2 weeks featuring Jay Leonhart & Dennis Mackrel. Trickynometry-1998-Jen Bay Records #1 Gavin Jazz 4 weeks featuring Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Yoron Israel, Grady Tate, Miles Griffith, Bobby LaVell & Neal Miner. A Minor Scramble-1997-Jen Bay Records #1 Gavin Jazz Chart -Featuring Lewis Nash, Peter Washington, Nicholas Payton and Benny Green. The Mark Elf Trio -Alerce-1993- South American Debut Album- #7 Gavin Jazz Chart. The Eternal Triangle 1988-Jen Bay Records- #4 Gavin Jazz Chart - Featuring Hank Jones, Jimmy Heath, Ray Drummond and Ben Riley. The Mark Elf Trio,Vol. I-Half Note Records 1986 Featuring Leroy Williams, Al Harewood-Drums & Paul Brown-Bass

Recordings as Sideman: Jimmy Heath, Lou Donaldson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Jimmy McGriff, Groove Holmes, Junior Cook, Bill Hardman, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Al Grey, Dakota Staton, Lonnie Smith and Charles Earland.

Festivals & Concerts: September 2013 Mark Elf Trio "Live Now" Concert for Jazz 88.3 FM KSDS 6/2000 & 6/98 The Elkhart Jazz Festival-The Mark Elf Trio.7/98 Sarasota Jazz Club-Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall-The Mark Elf Trio + Bobby LaVell. 9/97 Roger Williams Park Jazz Festival,Providence RI.-The Mark Elf Trio 7/97 Bushnell Park-Mark Elf & Guitars Inc..4/96 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival with The Heath Brothers-Percy, Tootie and Jimmy Heath. 6/95 We Love Jazz Cruise with Clark Terry, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen and Curtis Fuller. 5/88 European tour with The Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars featuring Kenny Barron, Ben Riley and Larry Ridley. 5/87 Lugano Jazz Festival with The Billy Mitchel All Stars.

In Performance with Jazz Luminaries: Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillispie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Golson, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Walter Bishop Jr., Kenny Barron, Jimmy Heath, Jon Hendricks, Curtis Fuller, Joe Newman, Al Grey, Barry Harris, Lonny Smith, Lou Donaldson, Branford Marsalis, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Cobb, Donald Byrd, Al Foster.

Educational Presentations, Concerts & Private Instruction: 2008 - www.markelfconservatory.com ,1997-Aaron Copeland School of Music, Queens College, NY. 1995/96-C.W. Post L.I.U. Green vale, NY. 1995 /94-Clark Terry Jazz Camp, Teykio International U. LeMars, Iowa 1995-Genoa, Italy Summer Jazz Camp with Clark Terry & Ray Brown. 1990/94-Nassau Boces Cultural Arts Center 1990/94-Five Towns College, Dix Hills, NY. 1996-89 New School NYC. 1978/88- International Art of Jazz S.U.N.Y., Stonybrook, NY. 1974/75-I.A.J. Concert Series Nassau County Schools, NY.

Headline Singers: Cab Calloway, Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks Etta Jones, Ruth Brown, Liza Minelli.

Personal Education: 1969-1971 Berklee College of Music, Private Studies with Barry Gailbraith and Chuck Wayne.

Mark Elf’s Biography

Mark Elf has been on the Jazz scene for over 40 years. He was born in Queens, New York in 1949 and started playing the Guitar at the age of 11. He has played and or recorded with the Jazz Giants: Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath & the Heath Bros., Wynton Marsalis & Jon Hendricks just to name a few. His first professional Jazz performance occurred around 1971 as a sideman at the Club Barron in Harlem, New York with Gloria Coleman and Etta Jones. This performance was a double bill with the George Benson Quintet.

During the 1970’s he toured with Lou Donaldson, Jimmy McGriff, Groove Holmes & Charles Earland and recorded a number of albums with them. He recorded his first album as a sideman with Jimmy McGriff & Groove Holmes in 1973 on the Groove Merchant Record label called “Giants of the Organ Come Together”. In the late 1970’s Mark worked with Junior Cook and Bill Hardman in New York City and also recorded with them on the Muse Label.

In the 1980’s he toured Europe with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and other Jazz Luminaries and also recorded his first album as a leader in 1986 called the Mark Elf Trio Volume 1.

In 1988 he recorded his second album as a leader “The Eternal Triangle with Hank Jones, Jimmy Heath, Ray Drummond and Ben Riley. This album would be released in 1996 on Mark’s Jen Bay Record Label.

1993 brought Mark his first overseas record deal with The Alerce Record Label and “The Mark Elf Trio” was recorded in Santiago, Chile. This recording was marketed to radio in 1996 and went to #7 on The Gavin Jazz Chart.

1995 found Mark recording for Telarc on the Jon Hendricks CD, “Boppin' at The Blue Note” with, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, Al Grey & Red Holloway. This recording went to #1 and opened up some radio doors just before the Alerce recording released in 1996.

After forming his own record company in 1995, Jen Bay Records, he stunned the record industry with hit recordings on Jazz Radio. From 1996 to 2014 all 12 of his recordings had finished in the top ten on National Jazz Radio with ten of them going to #1 consecutively from 1997 to 2014!!
In 1996 he joined the Jimmy Heath band and also worked with the Heath Bros. During this time the Eternal Triangle was released and it went to #4 on The Gavin Jazz Chart. He recorded “As We Were Saying” with the Heath Bros. for Concord in 1997. This same year Mark’s third recording as a leader, “A Minor Scramble” was released. This was the second for his own company and it hit #1 on The Gavin Jazz Chart. This was the first of 10 consecutive Chart Toppers!! The other 9 were 1998 - Trickynometry #1, 1999 - New York Cats #1, 2000 - Over The Airwaves & Live At Smalls #1, 2001 - Swingin' #1, 2002 - Dream Steppin' #1, 2004 - Glad To Be Back #1, 2006 - Liftoff #1 & 2014 Mark Elf Returns 2014 #1!

From 1970 to the present Mark has taught Guitar and theory at independent studios, colleges and universities in the USA and abroad. His clinics are recognized as some of the finest in the world as attested to by Clark Terry who hired Mark to teach at several of his Jazz Camps in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Clark says, “The students love his no nonsense practical approach. “He’s a great clinician.”
2008 www.markelfguitarconservatory.com
Beside owning his own successful record label he also owns his own publishing
company. He is sought after for his lectures on “How To Succeed As An INDIE”.

Presently Mark is touring with his trio performing at festivals, colleges and also clubs.

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E-MAIL jenbayjazz@gmail.com

Last Updated December 2014