Mark Shim (born November 21, 1973, in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

tenor saxophonist.

History

Shim's family moved from Kingston to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

when he was eight years old, and then settled in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, five years later. He started on sax in seventh grade, graduating from

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

in 1991 and attending Virginia Commonwealth University and William Paterson College. In 1994 he moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, where he played and recorded with Hamiett Bluiett in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

. He then played with

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

Mose Allison Mose John Allison Jr. (November 11, 1927 – November 15, 2016) was an American jazz and blues pianist, singer, and songwriter. He became notable for playing a unique mix of blues and modern jazz, both singing and playing piano. After moving to N ...

, Betty Carter, Greg Osby, and the Mingus Big Band. Shim's debut record for Blue Note appeared in 1998, with two more following on the label in 2000.

Discography

*''Mind over Matter'' ( Blue Note, 1998) *''New Directions'' with Stefon Harris, Jason Moran, Greg Osby (Blue Note, 2000) *''Turbulent Flow'' (Blue Note, 2000) * '' Purpose'' with Curtis Lundy (Justin Time, 2002) *'' Far from Over'' with Vijay Iyer (ECM, 2017) *''Travail, Transformation, and Flow'' with the Steve Lehman Octet (Pi Recordings, 2009) *''Mise en Abîme'' with the Steve Lehman Octet (Pi Recordings, 2014)

References

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

and Ira Gitler, ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford, 1999, p. 600. Jamaican jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Living people 1973 births 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century male musicians Jamaican male jazz musicians {{Jamaica-musician-stub