Episode 25. Mark Lockheart (Saxophone) - 'It Could Happen To You'

Geoff is in Greenwich, London to meet with the renowned saxophonist and composer Mark Lockheart.

Mark's story begins with the heartwarming image of waking up to his father's jazz records and following his dad into saxophone playing at age eleven. What follows is a rich narrative of musical discovery that spans decades.

Mark vividly recalls the American record club that delivered formative jazz recordings to his family home, introducing him to the sounds of Wes Montgomery and Paul Desmond that would shape his musical sensibilities. His path led through classical saxophone studies at Trinity College, where fateful meetings with musicians like Django Bates and John Parricelli set the stage for his involvement with the revolutionary jazz collective Loose Tubes in the early 1980s.

The conversation delves into Mark's distinctive approach to composition – intuitive, often arising from improvisation rather than formal theory. "For me, writing is all about counterpoint," he explains, describing how he focuses on melody and bass movement before determining the chords between them. This approach has served him well through various projects, from the quartet Perfect Houseplants to his most ambitious orchestral work ‘Days on Earth’ (2019).

Perhaps most revealing is Mark's complex relationship with jazz standards. Despite considering them foundational to his practice routine and musical development, he has never recorded them on his own albums – a hesitation born from deep respect for the definitive versions that already exist. Through demonstrations and stories, Mark illustrates how saxophone masters like Henderson, Rollins, and Coltrane shaped his sound through imitation and absorption rather than formal instruction.

The conversation culminates in a philosophical insight that resonates beyond music: "The older I get, the more I realise that the things you can't do are as important as the things you can do." Mark's journey reminds us that finding your voice isn't about mastering everything, but about making something distinctive with what you have.

Explore this fascinating musical conversation and hear Mark's interpretation of the 1940s Van Heusen/Burke standard ‘It Could Happen To You’ accompanied by the Quartet app of course! Subscribe now and discover more illuminating jazz dialogues in future episodes.

Presenter: Geoff Gascoyne
Series Producer: Paul Sissons
Production Manager: Martin Sissons
The Quartet Jazz Standards Podcast is a UK Music Apps production.