Mark Lettieri (born c. 1984) is an American guitarist, composer and producer. He is a member of the

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

band

Snarky Puppy Snarky Puppy is an American jazz fusion band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won five Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalis ...

, funk band The Fearless Flyers, and also performs with his quartet, the Mark Lettieri Group. His background spans several genres including jazz, rock and funk. He has released several solo albums. His 2021 album ''Deep: The Baritone Sessions Vol. 2'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

Life and career

Lettieri was born and raised in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. At age 12 he began playing guitar. He names

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

and

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

as early influences for expanding his interest in the instrument. Along with guitar lessons (including jazz guitar), he learned by playing along with recorded music and emulating guitar parts, and playing gigs in various bands. He studied marketing at

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

, and after graduating decided to pursue music professionally. He performed in the Dallas-Fort Worth music scene in clubs, recording sessions, backing bands, and in a variety of genres including R&B, gospel,

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, country, blues, rock and funk. In regard to starting out as a musician, he said he needed to be versatile and be able to perform in any role and style. In 2008 he started performing and recording with the jazz fusion band

, at the time a Dallas-based band whose members along with Lettieri shared the common influence of the Dallas R&B music scene. He is a member of the ensemble and has received five

Grammys The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

with the band. He is a founding member of The Fearless Flyers, an instrumental quartet consisting of guitarist

Cory Wong Cory Juen Wong (born March 8, 1985) is an American guitarist, songwriter, record producer, and video producer based in Minneapolis. He has released many works as a solo artist and in partnership with others. His background spans several genres i ...

, bassist

Joe Dart Vulfpeck is an American funk/soul band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851 ...

and drummer Nate Smith. Since 2018 the quartet has released four EPs, two studio albums and a live album. He performs and tours with his quartet, the Mark Lettieri Group, consisting of bassist Wes Stephenson, keyboardist Daniel Porter, and drummer Jason "JT" Thomas. He has performed as a session and touring musician with

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

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Ledisi Ledisi Anibade Young (; born March 28, 1972), better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. In 1995, Ledisi formed a band afte ...

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian and actor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle ...

and others. In 2011 Lettieri started releasing his solo works. He has released several solo albums, three of which have charted on the ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums Chart. Lettieri describes his style as textural and groove-based performance, with serving the song being first priority. His 2021 album ''Deep: The Baritone Sessions Vol. 2'' was nominated for a Grammy award in the category

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (previously: Best Pop Instrumental Album) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording arti ...

. In 2021, the

PRS Guitars Paul Reed Smith Guitars, also known as PRS Guitars or simply PRS, is an American guitar and amplifier manufacturer founded in 1985 in Annapolis, Maryland by Paul Reed Smith. After dropping out of college, Smith began making guitars by hand and ...

company introduced Lettieri's signature guitar, named Fiore, which incorporates his design preferences. Also in 2021 Lettieri and

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

created a package of guitar loops for digital audio workstations.

Equipment

Lettieri's primary instruments include his signature

PRS PRS or prs may refer to: Science and technology * Peripheral Reflex System, an implementation of autonomous peripheral operations in microcontrollers * Personal response system, in audience response * Phenotypic response surfaces, in medicine * P ...

Fiore, a Fender/Grosh hybrid

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporati ...

, a Grosh NOS Retro, a PRS McCarty 594 and a Bacci Leonardo baritone guitar. His primary amplifiers are the

Supro Supro is an American brand, currently owned by Bond Audio, a manufacturer of effects units. Formerly, Supro produced musical instruments as a subsidiary of Valco. The brand entered into disuse after the closure of Valco in 1968, being later revive ...

Statesman and

Kemper Profiler The Kemper Profiler is a digital Amplifier modeling, amp modeling and effects unit, multi-effects product line for electric guitar and bass from German brand Kemper. The amp line pioneered "profiling," also known as "capturing," a combination of ...

. He uses J. Rockett, MXR, Jackson Audio, and

TC Electronic TC Electronic (sometimes stylized as t.c. electronic) is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-pro ...

pedals and Dunlop nickel-wound strings. He also uses a variety of other instruments and accessories as needed.

Personal life

Lettieri lives in Fort Worth, Texas. He is married and has a daughter. In college he competed in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

Discography

Studio albums *''Knows'' (2011) *''Futurefun'' (2013) *''Spark and Echo'' (2016) *''Things of That Nature'' (2019) *''Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2'' (2021) *''Can I Tell You Something?'' (2024) Extended plays *''Deep: The Baritone Sessions'' (2019) *''Fly Through It'' (2022) Live albums *''Out by Midnight: Live at the Iridium'' (2023) with The Fearless Flyers *''The Fearless Flyers'' (2018) *''The Fearless Flyers II'' (2019) *''Tailwinds'' (2020) *''Flyers Live at Madison Square Garden'' (2021) *''The Fearless Flyers III'' (2022) *''The Fearless Flyers IV'' (2024) *''The Fearless Flyers V'' (2025) with

*''

Bring Us the Bright ''Bring Us the Bright'' is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released in 2008. Track listing Personnel ''Source:'' * Michael League – bass guitar, double bass, vocals * Mike Maher – trumpet, vocals * Sara Jacovi ...

'' (2008) *'' Tell Your Friends'' (2010) *'' GroundUP'' (2012) *'' Family Dinner – Volume 1'' (2013) *''

We Like It Here ''We Like It Here'' is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released on February 25, 2014. Description Recorded and filmed live with a studio audience over four nights in the Netherlands, ''We Like It Here'' captures t ...

'' (2014) *'' Sylva'' with

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest () is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it combines jazz, big band and classical symphony orchestra styles. Comprising bet ...

(2015) *''

Family Dinner – Volume 2 ''Family Dinner – Volume 2'' is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released on February 12, 2016. Track listing All songs arranged by Michael League. Bonus DVD and digital download tracks Personnel * Michael Leag ...

'' (2016) *''

Culcha Vulcha ''Culcha Vulcha'' is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released on April 29, 2016. The album includes performances by a number of musicians associated with the band and called "the Fam". The band's first studio album ...

'' (2016) *''

Immigrance ''Immigrance'' is the thirteenth album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy. It was released on March 15, 2019, and debuted at #2 on the ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums chart in the United States. Track listing ''Source'' Personnel Adapted fr ...

'' (2019) *'' Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' (2020) *'' Empire Central'' (2022) Session discography ''selected works''

Notes

References

External links

*
Mark Lettieri interview
''

Total Guitar ''Total Guitar'' was a monthly music magazine based in Bath, the United Kingdom, published from 1994 to 2024. The magazine was owned by Future plc, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to technology magazines. ' ...

'' magazine, 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lettieri, Mark American funk guitarists American jazz guitarists American rhythm and blues musicians American session musicians American male guitarists Songwriters from Texas Guitarists from Texas 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male musicians Musicians from California American male songwriters Musicians from Fort Worth, Texas 1980s births Living people Texas Christian University alumni