One of the leading jazz musicians in the country is to perform at Moreton-in-Marsh this month.

Mark Bassey will take to the stage at Moreton Jazz Club on 8th August where he’ll be joined by Graeme Taylor on piano, plus violinist/vocalist Ben Holder and bassist Paul Jefferies for what promises to be a great evening of upbeat jazz music. “I’m very much looking forward to visiting such a lovely part of the country and playing alongside Paul Jefferies who I’ve known for a long time,” said Mark. “I like to have fun when I perform, for me music is all about enjoying yourself and involving the audience. Any chance you get to perform at a new venue is exciting, so I’m really relishing the opportunity to perform at Moreton-in-Marsh,” he added.

When Mark isn’t on stage he’s teaching trombone and running classes in harmony, improvisation, composition and arranging at many of the leading music schools and colleges, including the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Mark continued: “I feel very lucky to be able to work alongside a great many talented musicians. I enjoy teaching, I get to work with some wonderful young musicians as well as elder musicians who are wanting to improve their playing abilities.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to work with a young musician who goes on to achieve great things. I often get asked what advice I tend to impart on my younger pupils and my answer is always the same – have fun. It’s important for musicians, especially those still at school, to enjoy what they’re doing. By all means make sure you spend plenty of time practising but don’t let it take over. Finding a way to get the joy out of music is the most important thing, express yourself and enjoy what you do.”

Mark has performed at some of the leading music venues in the world over his long music career and has been lucky enough to have played in front of a couple of high profile spectators. Mark continued: “I was in a band performing at the Hampton Court Flower Show. We were halfway through playing ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ when the Queen walked past, that was certainly one of my more memorable performances!

“I’ve been very lucky to have travelled all over the world and played at some fantastic venues. Another performance that sticks in my mind was when I flew over to Thailand a decade or so ago. It was another performance in front of royalty – this time the Queen of Thailand. I was playing in a salsa band, it was a performance I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”