Mark Taylor (14)

In 2001 Mark retired as chief arranger for The United States Army Band ("Pershing's Own"), where he was on staff for 24 years. During that time, he composed extensively for the U.S. Army Blues, writing all of the material for their album A New Beginning and much of the material for Scream Machine. His arrangements and compositions have been performed by the Army Blues throughout the world, including concerts at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. Prior to joining the Army, Mark was fortunate to write for Stan Kenton, who recorded many of his compositions and also gave him his start in music publishing. He has a large publishing portfolio and has influenced thousands of student musicians, many of whom were first exposed to big band jazz through his music. His latest project is the Taylor/Fidyk Big Band, which is co-led with Washington D.C. drummer Steve Fidyk. They released their CD A Perfect Match in 2002 to rave reviews. Their new CD Live at Blues Alley has just been released on the OA2 record label. Mark is a highly regarded clinician presenting many workshops on arranging for the jazz band, most recently appearing at the Midwest Band Clinic in Chicago. Mark holds a master's degree in music from the University of North Texas.