-
It Could Happen 9:500:00/9:50
-
Stones of Miles 8:210:00/8:21
-
Deck the Halls 6:160:00/6:16
-
Way In Sweet Your Own 12:050:00/12:05
-
0:00/5:03
-
Together Alone Jazz 13:120:00/13:12
-
Kharis in Orange 6:390:00/6:39
-
Love Beautiful 6:520:00/6:52
-
Sunday Afternoon 5:350:00/5:35
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
This press kit is primarily designed to answer potential queries of concert promoters, club booking agents, special event planners, and PR firms. All other queries are welcome.
video documentation
introduction to mark kramer's music
This video . . .
(of "AS IS" - a piece composed by Mark Kramer) . . . one of 11 filmed on 2 DEC 2016) . . . documents the finale of a concert in which the Mark Kramer Trio [MKT] (featuring the acclaimed Eddie Gomez and Billy Drummond) headlined for a sold-out audience of about 500. Tickets were ~$25 per person.
It leads here so as to underscore the overall sound and look of Mark's music, and generally its high appeal. Two important aspects of Mark's work and its reception are not evident from this clip: 1) the entire audience is comprised of all ages as well as a surprising mixture of dedicated jazz aficionados with those new to the form, and 2) his intentionally hidden, long developed, advanced style and execution (- a feature which would incongruously place him as a Senior within a select pool of much younger classically oriented poly-metric/poly-tonal two-fisted jazz pianists, some already identified as "cutting edge.")
The first portion of this particular secular concert featured selections from the trio's celebrated "Jazz Fiddler on the Roof" CD. After intermission, jazz standards (plus interspersed originals) were performed in a no-holds-barred jazz fashion. Audience response was similarly enthusiastic, if not more, for this - the pure jazz portion of the concert.
The video is memorable as this concert had only been performed under duress. Had it not been pre-contracted it would not have been performed at all: i.e., from 2013 until recently Mark had taken a voluntary break from his performance schedule to care medically for his wife (who died several weeks following this concert) after her long struggle with cancer. Mark is just now happily returning full force to his previous career in music.
Despite the "Trio" being Kramer's preferred instrumentation, performances do retain power in piano-bass duo and in solo piano configurations. Mark's trios or duos when composed of longstanding local members, or those collaborators depicted here are particularly reliable and artistic.
improvised performance based on a standard
There are contractors who may be more interested in jazz interpretations of standard tunes.
Thus, this spontaneous performance is Included here to highlight one of Mark's approaches to interpreting a very old standard. This had been the wedding song Mark and his wife Meryl Lee selected 47 years prior to this performance.
Please expand the video to full screen for best viewing experience.
MUSIC Biographies
“Let's get real here. After all, he's just a piano player. ”
— Marky (Kramer)
tHE SKINNY BIO
As an enduring Philadelphia jazz piano icon, leader of the Mark Kramer Trio and co-leader of Mark Kramer-Eddie Gomez Groups and Productions, Mark is reviewed as a stunning, technically gifted, and emotionally stirring artist. He is credited with producing and engineering well over 35 trio CDs, several for major labels, and for recording and touring with acclaimed collaborators such as Eddie Gomez, Charles Fambrough, and Jimmy Bruno. For the majority of his career, Mark had been rightly typecast as one of a handful of jazz pianists worldwide who authentically built upon pianist Bill Evans' prized contributions to jazz piano and small ensembles. Yet, recently Mark has decided to reveal his own brand of melodic invention, heart, and its combination (on steroids) with free jazz polyrhythms, collective group spirit, and his unique harmonic system. For the past several years, Kramer voluntarily lightened his performance and production schedule to care for his gravely ill wife (deceased 2/18/2017). Mark is just now returning to work - releasing and promoting his recordings including "Art of Music" with Eddie Gomez, authoring future productions, and planning to return to a full performance schedule in 2018.