Mark Rapp Group @ Pearlz Upstairz

Every Thursday night from 9:30pm to 12:30a, the Mark Rapp Group performs classic, modern, contemporary and original jazz – the real deal! Mark Rapp is a distinguished trumpeter, composer, arranger, didgeridoo player, recording and touring artist and has performed with such distinct artists from Branford Marsalis to Hootie and the Blowfish. Rapp has released 5 diverse recordings, and is featured on the closing track of Disney’s ‘Everybody Wants to be a Cat’ CD. Artists such as Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, The Bad Plus, Joshua Redman and more are also featured on this CD. Rapp’s celebrated 2009 debut release ‘Token Tales’ (Paved Earth Music), earned him a spot as one of the ‘Top 25 Emerging Trumpeters’ in Downbeat Magazine. His release ‘Good Eats’ (Dinemec Jazz) had critics saying, ‘Rapp is quickly developing a reputation as a superb interpreter and great stylist, willing to tackle the history of this music with his eyes on the past and his mind on the present and future of this music.’ ‘ AllAboutJazz.com. Rapp is a featured artist in Mellen Press’ ‘How Jazz Trumpeters Understand Their Music’ among a prestigious list including Terence Blanchard, Lew Soloff, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Hagans, Dave Douglas and more. Performance Experience Jazz clubs around the world from Snug Harbor (New Orleans), Blue Note (NYC), The Jazz Standard (NYC), Yoshi’s (San Francisco), Blues Alley (Washington, D.C.), Jazzland (Vienna, Austria), AMR (Geneva, Switzerland), Clube do Choro (Natal, Brasil) to Jazz Tunnel (Zagreb, Croatia). Jazz festivals around the world from the JVC Newport Jazz Festival, Fillmore Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, WC Handy Festival, Festival AMR des Cropettes (Switzerland), JazzTimes Festival in Croatia to the Jazz&Blues Festival in Garanhuns, Brazil. Mark has been guest soloist with Big Bands, recorded as a special guest artist on CDs, played in the United Nations Symphony Orchestra, and has had many jazz greats perform in his bands including bassist James Genus (Herbie Hancock, Brecker Brothers, Saturday Night Live, Aretha Franklin), Walter Blanding, Jr, Don Braden, Wycliffe Gordon, Nate Smith, Clerence Penn, Wess ‘Warmdaddy’ Anderson and many others.