Mark Feldman, violin

Violinist Mark Feldman is an active performer in the worlds of Jazz, Improvised Music and 20th Century Contemporary Music.

Mark Feldman Premiered the Violin Concerto of Guus Janssen as soloist with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in the Contemporary Music Festival Nederland Muziek Dagen. He also premiered the Concerto for Violin and Jazz Orchestra with the WDR Big Band of Colonge, Germany. A european tour of that piece included a sold out concert in the Grosse Saal of the Vienna Concert House. In years past he has also been a soloist with the WDR Radio Orchestra and the Basil Symphonetta. In chamber music he has performed and recorded the complete string quartets of John Zorn (Tzadik Records) and his own works for string quartet Book of Tells (Enja Records). With the Trio “Abaton” he performs the works of composer Sylvie Courvoisier resulting in the CD Abaton on ECM Records.

He is currently a member of the John Abercrombie Quartet. In addition to international concert tours the resulting recordings “Open Land” “Cat n’ Mouse” and “Class Trip” all on ECM records. Composer John Zorn has included him in many concert and recording projects over the past 10 years including Massada String Trio, Bar Kakhba, film scores, chamber music and performances of the Game Piece “Cobra”.

In 2001 he perfomed in Duo with Painist Paul Bley in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Series. In 2004 he performed in the Trio of Painist-Composer Muhul Richard Abrams at Alice Tully Hall. With composer-performers Dave Douglas and Uri Caine, Mr. Feldman performed many European and U.S.concert tours playing on many of their recordigns on RCA, Winter and Winter and Black Saint Records. In 2004 he recieved a grammy certificate for his performance on Michel Brecker’s Verve Album “Wide Angles”. In past years he was also a member of groups lead by saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Billy Hart. These groups also recorded and concertized. He has also performed or recorded with Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Tim Berne, Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Richard Galliano, Michael Formanek, Bobby Previte, The Arcado String Trio, Louis Sclavis, Ray Anderson and Kenny Warner among others.

Mr. Feldman is found on over 150 jazz recordings as a soloist including his own releases “Music for Violin Alone” (Tzadik), “Music for Violin and Piano” (avant), “Book of Tells” (enja), “Masada Recital, Masada Aniversary Vol.4” (tzadik), “Masada String Trio, 50th Vol 1 ” (tzadik).

As a composer he has been commissioned and performed by the Kronos Quartet and the WDR Radio Orchestra. For six Years violinist and composer Mark Feldman received the first place award for “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” in Down Beat magazine’s critics poll. In commercial music he has appeared as a studio musician with such groups as Cheryl Crow, The Manhattan Transfer, Diana Ross and Carol King among others.

Before moving to New York City in 1986, Mr. Feldman lived in Nashville Tennessee where he was a member of the ensembles that traveled and accompanied country western singers Loretta Lynn and Ray Price. In Nashville as a studio musician he appeared on over 200 Recordings including albums by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis and Television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart.