Mark Isham American musician, trumpeter, keyboardist and film composer Date of Birth: 07.09.1951 Country: USA

Biography of Mark Isham

Mark Isham is an American musician, trumpeter, keyboardist, and film composer, who has even been nominated for an Oscar for his work in the latter role. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic music, and many others.

He was born in New York, New York, into a family of musicians. His mother, Patricia Isham (Hammond), was a violinist, and his father, Howard Fuller Isham, was a professor of humanities. From an early age, Mark studied classical music and played the trumpet, violin, and piano.

After some time, the Isham family moved to San Francisco, where Mark played with several local orchestras. In the 1960s, he actively participated in the local rock and roll scene, performing live with various bands. From 1970 to 1972, Mark was a member of the Marin County-based band 'Beefy Red,' where he played the trumpet and soprano saxophone. The band performed in music clubs of various levels before disbanding in January 1972.

In 1974, Isham, together with former bandmates Phil Woods (playing flugelhorn) and drummer James Preston, joined 'The Sons of Champlin.' This band, like 'Beefy Red,' was quite atypical for the psychedelic scene in San Francisco at the time. Isham wrote and performed his first recorded song, the instrumental composition 'Marp,' on the band's debut album in 1975.

Throughout the 1970s, Mark actively studied synthesizer programming and became an active member of the progressive jazz movement. In 1975, Isham and pianist Art Lande formed the quartet 'Rubisa Patrol.' They released two albums, 'Rubisa Patrol' and 'Desert Marauders.' It was in this band that Isham first established himself as an excellent solo trumpeter, with a playing style reminiscent of Miles Davis.

From 1979 to 1983, Isham worked with Van Morrison, once again playing the trumpet and synthesizers and participating in the recording of five albums. In 1984, Mark started his solo career with the release of his first album, 'Vapor Drawings.' This experimental and atmospheric work showcased his unique blend of contemporary jazz and electronic music. Notably, this album was the first to be released under the 'Windham Hill' label and featured a significant number of synthesizers.

In 1983, Isham was invited to play with RMS and Gil Evans at the jazz festival in Monroe. Mark arrived at the venue and went straight to the concert almost immediately after getting off the plane. The result was eventually released as a separate DVD under the 'Angel Air Record' label in 2004.

From 1987 to 1992, Mark recorded a series of audiobooks based on classic children's fairy tales for the 'Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics' project. Esteemed actors such as William Hurt and Glenn Close also worked on these discs. In 1988 and 1989, two more albums were released: 'Castalia' and 'Tibet,' both of which were Grammy-nominated. In 1990, Mark finally won the Grammy for his album 'Mark Isham.'

In 1999, Mark recorded his first work for orchestra, 'Five Stories for Trumpet and Orchestra.' In the same year, he was nominated for an Oscar for the sound design of the film 'A River Runs Through It.' In the following years, Isham continued to solidify his reputation as a high-caliber composer. Currently, he actively performs both as a musician, primarily playing the trumpet and synthesizers, and as a composer.