Jonathan Marks
Biography
JONATHAN MARKS (violin, vocals) was a founding member of the Toronto based Club Django Sextet, a group dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Quintet of the Hot Club de France, the group that featured the legendary Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. The group performed in concert during the “Sound of Toronto Jazz” Series at the Ontario Science Centre in October of year 2000, and continue to appear regularly locally and in Canadian jazz festivals, including those in Toronto and Ottawa. Their CD, A Tribute to the Quintet of the Hot Club de France has received frequent airplay on radio across the country, and won the Canadian Collectors' Congress Award for Best Traditional/Classic Jazz Album of 2000.
While Marks continues to demonstrate his love of the energy of and exuberance for early swing music, his interests in the past few years have led to the study of bebop and other later styles of jazz improvisation. The manifestation of that is his recent formation of the Jonathan Marks Trio, teaming Marks with Toronto players Kevin Manaugh on guitar, and Michael Herring on bass. As J.M.T., the trio collaborate on what they describe as a “new sound” with elements of Swing, Bebop, Latin, and post bop sounds, saying, “The repertoire reflects these influences, featuring a healthy dose of classic jazz standards -- tunes from Monk, Bird, Miles, and Sonny Rollins with some Bossa Nova tunes mixed in.”