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The latest CD
EYE TO EYE -
Born in Bishop Auckland in England, tenor saxophonist Mark Wyand is a permanent fixture in Germany’s jazz scene.
Wyand’s jazz talent, you see, spans all keys. With stylistic confidence, he is able to transcend from bebop to cool acid jazz. Or he devotes himself and his impressive playing to the many facets of the elegiacal jazz ballad.
Just he does now on “Eye To Eye“, the 33-year old’s debut album with SonyBMG produced by trumpeter Till Brönner. Wyand has recorded 12 of his own compositions and a cover version of Elvis Presley´s “Love Me Tender“ in a classic quartet arrangement. He his accompanied by Frank Woeste (piano), Pepe Berns (bass) and Sebastian Merk (drums). Till Brönner is also on the trumpet in the eloquent and elegant “Cape Town", a homage to South Africa’s cape town where Wyand has often frequented to give concerts with local celebrities such as Winston Mankuku and Basil Moses, as well as 3 other tracks.
Although “Eye To Eye” is enlivened by a meditative atmosphere, Mark Wyand’s playing is set apart by sensitivity and a sense for the beautiful moments in nostalgia reminiscent of Charlie Haden’s (bass player) famous Quartet West. No wonder then, that the cultivated sound of Berlin’s celebrated Wyand has also appealed to international top stars. Wyand has already stood on stage alongside pop singer Robbie Williams and infamous trumpeter Clark Terry.
Mark Wyand was brought up in Germany from the age of six. At eighteen, he attended the Nuremberg University of Music and was a member of the Regional and National Youth Jazz Orchestra. In 2000, he graduated with distinction from the Berlin University of Music. Among his teachers were Wolfgang Engstfeld and John Ruocco..
