Mark Feldman
A violin virtuoso, Mark Feldman is a classically trained performer known for his adventurous, genre-bending work in avant-garde jazz. Following early work as a Nashville studio musician, Feldman garnered critical acclaim in the '90s working in New York's creative music scene with luminaries like John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, and Michael Formanek. His own albums have found him moving from artful solo violin sessions like 1995's Music for Violin Alone to challenging small group dates like 2006's What Exit? with John Taylor. Feldman has collaborated regularly with his wife, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, releasing a bevy of sophisticated classical- and jazz-informed albums, including 2006's Malphas: Book of Angels, Vol. 3 and 2019's Time Gone Out. In 2021, he again showcased his expansive solo skills with Sounding Point.
Born in 1955 in Chicago, Feldman first became interested in the violin in elementary school at age nine. He began taking classical lessons and by his teens was performing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In his early twenties, he moved to Nashville, where he was a member of the Nashville Symphony and the CBS Television Orchestra from the Grand Ole Opry. Acclimating quickly to the Western swing and country fiddle styles, he also toured and recorded with various country legends, including Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, and Johnny Cash, among others.
In 1987, he moved to New York, where he further established himself on the jazz and creative music scene, working with artists like John Zorn, Muhal Richard Abrams, Billy Hart, and Michael Formanek. It would not be until the mid-'90s that Feldman began releasing his own albums, starting with 1995's solo Music for Violin Alone. He has also played with the Arcado String Trio and in the adventurous New and Used ensemble with Dave Douglas.
More albums followed, including 1997's Music for Piano and Violin with his wife, Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier (the couple married in 2000). Book of Tells: Five Pieces for String Quartet arrived in 2005 and featured Feldman in a small group with violinists Joyce Hammann and Cenovia Cummins, violist Lois Martin, and cellist Erik Friedlander. Along with his solo work, Feldman continued to find himself in demand as a session player, recording prolifically with artists like Chris Potter, Tim Berne, Uri Caine, and others. In 2004, he played on and served as concertmaster for Michael Brecker's Grammy-winning big band album Wide Angles.
Feldman has also continued to work regularly with Courvoisier, releasing albums like 2006's Malphas: Book of Angels, Vol. 3, and appearing on her albums like 2007's Lonelyville. He also made his solo ECM debut in 2006 with What Exit?, a collaboration with John Taylor, Anders Jormin, and Tom Rainey. In 2009, Feldman moved to Tzadik for Secrets, playing with pianist Caine, bassist Greg Cohen, and drummer Joey Baron. A second Tzadik release, Oblivia, followed a year later and again found him working with Courvoisier.
In 2013, Feldman and Courvoisier released Birdies for Lulu, which featured the violinist's quartet, as well as guests Scott Colley and Billy Mintz. The couple also collaborated on a number of albums for Intakt Records, including 2016's Miller's Tale with Evan Parker and Ikue Mori, and 2019's Time Gone Out. In 2021, Feldman returned to the solo violin format with Sounding Point.
© Matt Collar /TiVo
Discography
20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Cat 'N' Mouse
John Abercrombie, Mark Feldman, Joey Baron, Marc Johnson
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Feb 18, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Malphas: Book of Angels, Vol. 3
John Zorn, Mark Feldman, Sylvie Courvoisier
Jazz - Released by Tzadik on Jan 24, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Class Trip
John Abercrombie, Mark Feldman, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Apr 26, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Abaton
Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander
Jazz - Released by ECM Records on Sep 15, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Cahoots
Ned Rothenberg, Mark Feldman, Sylvie Courvoisier
Jazz - Released by Clean Feed on Nov 18, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sounding Point
Jazz - Released by Intakt Records on Feb 12, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time Gone Out
Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman
Jazz - Released by Intakt Records on Jul 5, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Miller's Tale
Sylvie Courvoisier, Mark Feldman, Evan Parker, Ikue Mori
Jazz - Released by Intakt Records on Jun 24, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paradise - Single
Pop - Released by inDiscover Recordings - Orange Lounge Recording Co. on Dec 7, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Book of Tells
Mark Feldman, Lois Martin, Joyce Hammann, Cenovia Cummins, Erik Friedlander
Jazz - Released by ENJA RECORDS Matthias Winckelmann on Jun 5, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sounding Point
Jazz - Released by Intakt Records on Feb 12, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music For Violin Alone
Alternative & Indie - Released by Tzadik on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Besides Blue Skies
Lounge - Released by Mark Feldman on Sep 30, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Oblivia
Mark Feldman, Sylvie Courvoisier
Jazz - Released by Tzadik on Jan 26, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Who's Got to Know?
Rock - Released by Mark Feldman on Sep 1, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Let's Try - Single
Folk - Released by inDiscover Recordings - Orange Lounge Recordings on Dec 7, 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo