© 2024 Mark Taylor
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Biography

“Mark’s appealing tone and impressive chops have graced countless performances by wide ranging ensembles, and his improvisational prowess has him playing and essential ingredient in the most exciting groups in the area”

-Steve Cline, Earshot Jazz

“Mark is truly a skilled professional. His effortless lead playing and improvisations are admired by saxophonists and non-saxophonists alike.”

– James Knapp, Composer/Bandleader/Trumpet
Cornish College of the Arts Faculty

“One of Seattle’s finest young musicians.”

– Paul deBarros, The Seattle Times

Mark Taylor is one of the most in demand saxophonists in the Pacific Northwest. A Seattle native and resident, Mark’s personal sound and style are a fixture on the local jazz scene and have given him opportunities to perform for audiences all over the United States and Japan. Widely respected as a unique and creative improviser, an impeccable ensemble player, and for his stylistic versatility, Mark was honored as “NW Jazz Instrumentalist of 2008” by Earshot Jazz Magazine. Mark performs and records extensively with such diverse and award winning groups as Matt Jorgensen +451, Jim Knapp Orchestra, Frieze of Life, Victor Noriega Trio + 2, Tom Varner’s Tentet and Quintet, Thomas Marriott, Wayne Horvitz, Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, and the Randy Halberstadt Quintet. Outside of these ongoing projects, he has also appeared locally with legends such as Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Ernestine Anderson, current headliners in jazz such as Sam Yahel and Maria Schneider, appearances with the Seattle Symphony and Pacific Northwest Ballet, and many more.

As a leader, Mark has released two critically acclaimed CDs on Origin Records: “After Hours” (2002), and “Spectre” (2009) which was named “NW Jazz Recording of 2009” (Earshot Jazz).

As an educator, Mark has a full studio of private students and is a highly sought after guest artist and clinician for festivals, workshops, and clinics throughout the region. He holds a BM from the University of Washington (1994), and MM from the Manhattan School of Music (2000) in New York City where his performance credentials include appearances with the Grammy Award winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.