I, Mark Rapp, had the honor of hosting and playing the headlining concert at the 2017 SC Jazz Festival for the Dizzy Gillespie’s Centennial Celebration. It was an amazing evening filled with fiery trumpeters, Eleazar Shaffer and Jon Thornton, accompanied by the up-and-coming, saxophone phenom, Ben Eidson, and backed by an all-star band with Danny … Read more
Recently, someone asked me about licks and stated that “using saxophone licks is not improvising.” I agree with that statement, but only to a point. After all, licks are like vocabulary. It’s all about how you put things together in the moment. Someone with a good vocabulary may or may not be a good writer/story … Read more
ColaJazz Creates More Gigs for Local Jazz Musicians Columbia, SC, August 14th, 2017: ColaJazz.com founder Mark Rapp is determined to grow Columbia’s jazz scene. Now, Mark Rapp (2016 Jasper Magazine’s Artist of the Year in Music) and Rosso Trattoria owner Richard Couture, are teaming up to offer three new jazz happenings at this popular Forest … Read more
Pops was my mentor, my friend, and like a second father to me. Many years ago, he told me that if I wanted to be a better singer, I should listen to more horn players. He gave me my first Sonny Rollins record and my first Shirley Horn record. He was a musical force of … Read more