Mark Lockheart | |
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 Mark Lockheart performing with Polar Bear | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 31 March 1961 Lymington, England |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels |
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| Member of | Shapeshifter, Perfect Houseplants, The Printmakers |
| Formerly of | Polar Bear, Loose Tubes, Ellington in Anticipation, Malija |
| Website | marklockheart |
Mark Lockheart (born 31 March 1961) is a British jazz composer and saxophonist who was a member of the Loose Tubes big band during the 1980s. [1]
Lockheart was a prominent figure in the 1980s UK big band scene performing as a member of both Loose Tubes and Django Bates' Delightful Precipice. He went on to form jazz/folk quartet Perfect Houseplants with Huw Warren, Dudley Phillips, and Martin France. [2] The band released five albums, collaborating on two with The Orlando Consort. Later, Lockheart formed an 11-piece Scratch Band to perform his original compositions and they recorded two albums including "Through Rose-Coloured Glasses" in 1998. [3] In 2005 Lockheart put together his Big Idea ensemble and recorded the album "Moving Air". [4]
In 2003, Lockheart joined the British jazz quintet Polar Bear. [4] [5] The group have recorded six albums, including Held on the Tips of Fingers , which was nominated for the Mercury Award and was selected one of the 100 Jazz Albums That Shook the World (2006 edition) by Jazzwise magazine. [6]
A further project of Lockheart compositions was released in 2009 with the In Deep quintet featuring Liam Noble and Jasper Høiby. [7] The next year, Lockheart was awarded Jazz Musician of the Year award at the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2010. [8] [9] His compositions have been recorded with the NDR Big Band. [10] [11]
"Ellington in Anticipation" was released to critical acclaim in 2013. [12] As a septet featuring Sebastian Rochford, Tom Herbert, Liam Noble, Margrit Hasler, James Allsopp, and Finn Peters, Lockheart completed a UK wide tour [13] supported by the Arts Council of England.
In July 2014 Lockheart formed the trio Malija with pianist Liam Noble and bassist Jasper Hoiby as a result of a request from the Rochester Jazz Festival in New York. Malija released its debut album entitled "The Day I Had Everything" on the Edition label in 2015 [14] , followed by "Instinct" in 2017 [15] .
Lockheart completed a major jazz/orchestral work titled Days on Earth for jazz sextet and 30-piece orchestra, released on Edition in January 2019. [16] [17] These were followed by the electronic quartet album "Dreamers" in 2022 [18] and 13-piece jazz/rock fusion recording "Smiling" in 2024. [19]
Lockheart has also played in sessions with Radiohead, Prefab Sprout, and Stereolab.
Lockheart teaches at Guildhall School of Music and Drama [20] and Royal Academy of Music in London. He previously taught on the jazz staff at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance [21] [22] [23] where notable British jazz musicians including Nubya Garcia, Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin, Corrie Dick, Joe Armon-Jones and Femi Koleoso have studied.
With Django Bates
With Loose Tubes
With Perfect Houseplants
With Polar Bear
With June Tabor
With Huw Warren
With others
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