Mark Hollingsworth
After years of working as a Los Angeles studio musician and being influenced by working with musical legends ranging from Stevie Wonder to Santana, and Ray Charles to Quincy Jones, Mark Hollingsworth has now drawn on these experiences to inspire his first solo album release, “On the Mark”. The veteran sax player makes his solo debut with the polish that is characteristic of the top tier artists he has worked with.
A native of the Chicago area, Mark was influenced by the diverse music that permeated popular radio while he was growing up. He was particularly affected by the Jazz, R&B, and Blues which distinguished the musical culture of that city. His father, a High School band director, helped broaden his musical palette by introducing him to music from around the world and from all periods of history. After graduating with honors from the world renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mark moved to Los Angeles and continued to study many facets of music including composition, arranging and production, while getting experience touring, playing shows and working as a session player for film, television and records.
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Mark landed a job touring with Tom Jones. While regularly featured as a soloist, Mark had some powerful experiences traveling and performing for large crowds all over the world. He next focused on being a top notch studio musician. While continuing to hone his skills on the sax, flute and clarinet, he also picked up some unusual instruments including ethnic flutes, which led to him being featured on Chinese flutes for a movie that was produced in Taiwan, and which won many international awards. He recorded music on television commercials for hundreds of companies from Dodge to Taco Bell. He worked on cartoons by Warner Brothers and Disney, played on feature films for the US and overseas, and worked on records for a huge variety of artists including U2, Tom Petty, Luther Vandross and Santana.
No rookie to the Smooth Jazz scene, Mark has recorded with Dan Siegel, performed at festivals around the country with other artists including Grant Geisman and has been featured with the Greg Adams band for almost 3 years. Mark teams up with writer/producer James Wirrick for “On the Mark”, who’s co-written and co-produced all of Greg Adams’ solo albums. Mark was initially struck by the crowds who attended many of the Smooth Jazz concerts. “I was really inspired when I started playing many of the festivals. I couldn’t believe how responsive these crowds were to our music. People would often come up to me after a show and tell me how much they were affected.” Many people asked Mark if he had his own solo album, so soon it became his top priority.
Drawing on his deep roots from Chicago’s music scene, and with influences that span musical periods and cultures he set out to create a very personal solo album. A unique blend of catchy melodies, upbeat grooves and stimulating variety permeate “On the Mark”. “I wanted to create a Smooth Jazz album that took advantage of the interaction between real musicians. Smooth Jazz has gone through periods where artists relied on a lot of loops and sequenced elements. Those things can be good, and I use them too, but there is something terribly powerful about hearing great musicians interacting to make great music.” Mark dedicated two of the songs to artists who reflect a bit of the span of his inspiration. “The title cut, was dedicated to Tom Scott, who was a hero to me as a kid. He was known to be a great studio musician, able to play many instruments, able to play many styles, and he got to be kind of a “hired gun” who was brought in to play solos for other artists. At the same time he had recorded great solo albums. The other song, ‘Catch This’ was dedicated to Cannonball Adderley. It could be thought of as a modern cousin to ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ and feels more like a traditional jazz piece. It’s a small group, very organic and very catchy!”
“On the Mark” is rich in musical energy and scope, allowing the listener to discover something new each time they play a song from it. Mark’s playing has an intensity and depth that listeners can immediately identify and relate to. He knows how to engage and connect with the audience creating a dynamic, soulful energy that pulls the listener in.
