Pianist Mark Fitzgibbon was born into a strong entertainment tradition. He is the son of well known Australian entertainer, jazzman and restaurateur Graham “Smacka” Fitzgibbon, nephew to actress singer Maggie Fitzgibbon and grandson to pianist vaudevillian Min Fitzgibbon, his sister Nichaud is a famed jazz vocalist and brother Andrew a notable drummer. A piano student from an early age, he studied music under Fred Thomas, Graham Rule, Marie Driscoll and Trevor Barnard but mostly learned from going on the road like everyone. Mark started with many leading Melbourne bands including Vince Jones and Wilbur Wildes “Blowout”. In the eighties move to London and performed throughout Europe for the next seven years. In London worked as a freelance pianist regularly performing at the 606 club, Pizza Express and Ronnie Scotts jazz clubs.

Notable UK bands included Tommy Chase qt, Alan Barne’s Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet, Clarke Tracey's groups, Gerard Presencer qt, Jean Toussaint, Anthony Kerr qt, Louis Stewart, Peter King, Charles Mcpherson, Don Weller,Dave O'Higgins, Ronnie Scott, Moontwist, The Moodists, Bryan Spring trio, Don Weller, Art Themen, Henry Lowther qt, George Coleman jr quartet, Tina May and Claire Martin. 

Mark returned to Australia in the 90's and won the Wangarratta jazz festival prize. Has worked and recorded with with many of Australias finest jazz performers including Dale Barlow, Bernie Mcgann, Christine Mcnulty, Fiona Burnett Andrew Speight, Jamie Oehlers, Scott Tinkler, Ian Chaplin, Wilbur Wilde, Sabrina Montgomery, Cam Mcallister, David Rex, Willow Neilsen, Nichaud Fitzgibbon and his own trios and quartets. A highly regarded pianist Mark has continued to be in demand within Australia as a solo artist, accompanist, composer and recording artist on stage, tv and radio. Mark has accompanied many international jazz stars such as Scott Hamilton, Lee Konitz, John Stubblefield, Curtis Lundy, Claire Martin, Mark Murphy and George Coleman jr on their tours in Oz Mark has recently been working in Melbourne with his jazz piano trio and quintet, his sister jazz vocalist Nichaud, Dale Barlow and George Coleman jr qt, Ruth Rogers Wrights Nina Simone show, Dave Graney's Lurid yellow mist, jazzreggae group Skankin', a tv jazzshow for Ch31 and a duo with the dynamic violinist Susannah Ng. and some other weird and wonderful situations.
 
Mark recently returned to Melbourne from WA where he was artist in residence and lecturer in Jazz at WAAPA, Edith Cowan University.

Mark is currently working in Shanghai with the Theo Crocker Collective, Jz Big Band and his trio.

“Mark Fitzgibbon is one of the most under rated talents in the country. Always musically tasteful , a consistently sympathetic accompanist , a repository of a vast repertoire and an impeccable touch , he can produce blistering solos and lift the music to another level” 

Adrian Jackson, the AGE, Melbourne

Dan Perkins is a Multi Instrumentalist and Composer living in the United States(.BA Arizona State,MFA California Institute of the Arts) He has logged his 10,000 hours as a Saxophonist and has toured and recorded throughout Asia and North America since 1998.
recent remixes on things I wrote and recorded in the best studio in Tokyo.
"Tatemae, 50/50, Life in 6 Parts,New Gospel and Dig Dis", are all recorded live, with no overdubs,  on the first or second take.
My style is not only Jazz ,but has many elements.
Taipei Times Article


When jazz musicians describe their songs for an upcoming performance as “challenging,” the alarm bells are likely to go off for casual listeners.
But there’s no need to worry with the Dan Perkins Quartet, which plays at Sappho on Tuesday. Bandmembers say their challenge will be to present music that is interesting for both the musicians and the audience.
For US saxophonist Dan Perkins, who was based in Southern California but is in the process of moving to Japan, this means choosing songs with a variety of grooves ranging from ballads to funk, and genres spanning modern jazz to pop.
“The thing I’m afraid of is the audience being bored. I don’t want them to be bored,” said Perkins in an interview after a rehearsal in Xindian.
While the 37-year-old is thoroughly immersed in the jazz world — he just completed his master’s degree in jazz performance at the California Institute of the Arts and has studied with accomplished musicians such as saxophonist Ernie Watts and drummer Joe La Barbera — he still tries to be mindful of the other half of the equation in music: the listener.
“Sometimes, players, we get caught up in our own world, and we don’t consider: if I was an audience member would I be enjoying this? I know jazz is a player’s music, but I also have to consider what my audience is thinking, and would they find this interesting,” he said.
The quartet will be playing songs with more intricate arrangements as opposed to the typical run of standards conducive to free form jamming. Selections include McCoy Tyner’s My Love, Effendi, Medeski, Martin and Wood’s Wiggly’s Way and the Beatles’ Across the Universe.
daniel.perkins@gmail.com


Since 2001! Yours truly Alec Haavik Friction Squad, Shanghai, China
http://www.alechaavik.com
http://soundcloud.com/sjc



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