Mark Lockheart

Mark Lockheart
Mark Lockheart performing in
Mark Lockheart performing in
Background information
Born (1961-03-31) 31 March 1961 (age 63)
Lymington, England
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSaxophone
Years active1980s–present
LabelsEdition, Isis, Stay Tuned, Basho, Harmonia Mundi, Subtone
Websitemarklockheart.co.uk

Mark Lockheart (born 31 March 1961) is a British jazz tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Loose Tubes big band during the 1980s.[1]

Career

After the demise of Loose Tubes, Lockheart formed jazz/folk quartet Perfect Houseplants with Huw Warren, Dudley Phillips, and Martin France.[2] The band released five albums, including two with The Orlando Consort. At this time Lockheart The Scratch Band, performing his compositions. The group recorded two albums, including Imaginary Dances.[3] In 2005 Lockheart put together his "Big Idea" to record the album Moving Air.[4]

In 2003, Lockheart joined the British jazz quintet Polar Bear.[4][5] The group have recorded six albums, including Held on the Tips of Fingers, which was nominated for the Mercury Award and was selected one of the 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World by Jazzwise magazine.

A project of more of Lockheart's compositions was released in 2009 with the In Deep Quintet featuring Liam Noble and Jasper Hoiby.[6] The next year, Lockheart was awarded Jazz Musician of the Year award at the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards. His compositions have been recorded with the NDR Big Band.[7][8]

Ellington in Anticipation was released to critical acclaim in 2013.[9] As a septet featuring Sebastian Rochford, Tom Herbert, Liam Noble, Margrit Hasler, James Allsopp, and Finn Peters, Lockheart completed a UK wide tour[10] supported by the Arts Council of England.

In July 2014 Lockheart formed the trio Malija with pianist Liam Noble and bassist Jasper Hoiby as a result of a request from the Rochester Jazz Festival in New York. "Malija" released its debut album entitled The Day I Had Everything on the Edition record label in 2015.

Most recently Lockheart has completed a major jazz/orchestral work titled Days On Earth for jazz sextet and 30-piece orchestra, released on Edition Records in January 2019.[11]

Lockheart has also played in sessions with Radiohead, Prefab Sprout, and Stereolab.

Lockheart teaches at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Academy of Music in London where he mentored notable British jazz musicians including Nubya Garcia, Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin, Corrie Dick, Joe Armon-Jones and Femi Koleoso; and is a regular tutor for the National Youth Jazz Collective.

Awards and honors

  • 1998 Peter Whittingham Award for Young Musicians for Through Rose Coloured Glasses
  • 2001 Touring grant for the Arts for "Imaginary Dances" by the Arts Council of England
  • 2005 Touring grant for the Arts for "The Big Idea" by the Arts Council of England
  • 2010 Jazz Musician of the Year, All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards[12]
  • 2013 Jazz CD of the Year for Ellington in Anticipation, Mojo magazine
  • 2013 Touring grant for the Arts for "Ellington in Anticipation" by the Arts Council of England
  • 2014 Jazz Electives Composer, THSH and Birmingham Music Service, 'Are We There Yet' commission.[13]
  • 2016 Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the year[14]
  • 2019 Composer Award from Paul Hamlyn Foundation Awards for Artists

Discography

As leader

  • Matheran (1993)
  • Through Rose-Coloured Glasses (1998)
  • Imaginary Dances (2002)
  • Moving Air (2005)
  • In Deep (2009)
  • Days Like These (2010)
  • Ellington in Anticipation (2013)
  • The Day I Had Everything (Malija) (2015)
  • Instinct (Malija) (2017)
  • Days On Earth (2019)

As sideman

With Django Bates

With Loose Tubes

  • Loose Tubes (1985)
  • Delightful Precipice (1986)
  • Open Letter (1988)
  • Dancing on Frith Street (1989)
  • Sad Africa (1989)
  • Arriving (2015)

With Perfect Houseplants

  • Perfect Houseplants (1992)
  • Clec (1994)
  • Snap Clatter (1997)
  • New Folk Songs (2000)
  • Extempore (1999) with the Orlando Consort
  • Extempore 2 (2002) with the Orlando Consort

With Polar Bear

With June Tabor

  • Angel Tiger (1992)
  • Against the Streams (1994)
  • Aleyn (1997)
  • A Quiet Eye (1999)

With Huw Warren

  • Barrel Organ Far from Home (1997)
  • Hundreds of Things a Boy Can Make (1998)
  • God Only Knows (2005)

With others

References

  1. ^ "Mark Lockheart". All About Jazz. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  2. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  3. ^ Fordham, John (22 March 2002). "Delicate essence". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  4. ^ a b Kelman, John (9 October 2005). "CD/LP Review: Moving Air". All About Jazz. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  5. ^ Fordham, John (30 May 2009). "Jazz Preview: Polar Bear". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  6. ^ Fordham, John (19 June 2009). "Mark Lockheart: In Deep". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  7. ^ Gelly, Dave (14 February 2010). "Mark Lockheart: Days Like These". The Observer. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  8. ^ Fordham, John (19 February 2010). "Mark Lockheart: Days Like These". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  9. ^ Fordham, John (14 February 2013). "Mark Lockheart: Ellington In Anticipation". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  10. ^ Quinn, Peter (24 March 2013). "Mark Lockheart: Kings Place – Ellington In Anticipation". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  11. ^ "Mark Lockheart: Days on Earth review – brightest recording from a glittering career". the Guardian. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Winners announced for 2010 Parliamentary Jazz Awards - M Magazine". M-magazine.co.uk. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  13. ^ Birmingham, Town Hall & Symphony Hall (11 January 2020). "Jazz Electives 2014 composer…". Town Hall & Symphony Hall Birmingham. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Jazz FM Award winners 2016!". Jazzfm.com. Retrieved 11 January 2020.