Saturday, April 8, 2017

Mark Whitfield - Grace (2017)


It's been 27 years since I officially introduced myself to the music world with my 1st Warner Bros. recording, "The Marksman"! After years of performing as a solo artist as well as a featured guest with artists like Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Cedar Walton, Sting, Stephen Tyler, D'Angelo, Mary J. Blige and the Dave Matthews Band, it is my absolute pleasure, honor and privilege to share the stage and the recording studio with my sons Mark Jr. on drums and Davis on piano and keyboards. Our bassist, Yasushi Nakamura, is a former student of mine from my Juilliard jazz improvisation lectures and we have enjoyed performing all over the world for the past few years. As an added bonus, my cousin, singer, songwriter performer extraordinaire Sy Smith(Sting, Chris Botti, Whitney Houston, Brandi, Jamie Foxx, Usher & Ricky Minor) co-wrote and sang the title track "Grace".

Mark Jr, Davis and I are all graduates of the Berklee College of Music and in addition to performing we give workshops and masterclasses focusing on musical and personal development and are always excited to share the benefits of our experiences.


Afro Samurai
Blue D.A.
Grace
Double Trouble
Space Between Us
Fortress
Undiscovered
The Socrates Curse
Pulse, Pt. 2

Davis Whitfield: piano, keyboards
Yasushi Nakamura: bas
Mark Whitfield, Jr.: drums
Sy Smith: vocals (on “Grace”)