Mark Lockheart

Saxophonist and composer Mark Lockheart first came to prominence in the mid 1980s with the radical jazz orchestra Loose Tubes. In 1992 Mark formed the eclectic co-led ( with Huw Warren) quartet Perfect Houseplants, which recorded five critically acclaimed albums. Mark joined the jazz/electronica group Polar Bear in 2003 which went on to record six ground-breaking albums including the Mercury nominated albums Held On The Tips Of Fingers (2005) and In Each and Every Way (2013) In 2009 Mark's quintet album In Deep was released to critical acclaim- his first release on the UK Edition record label. The following year saw the release of Mark's first big band album Days Like These with the Hamburg-based NDR big band. In 2013 Mark released Ellington In Anticipation, a radical reworking of Duke Ellington melodies which received numerous four and five-star reviews and was MOJO magazine’s Jazz Album of 2013. In 2016 Mark was awarded Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year and the Paul Hamlyn Award for composition in 2019 . That same year Edition released his jazz/orchestral work titled Days On Earth for jazz sextet and 30-piece orchestra. His latest album ( and band) Dreamers released their debut album in January 2022. Mark has recorded and worked with a truly diverse range of musicians including: Django Bates, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Dave Holland, June Tabor, Stereolab, Jah Wobble, Robert Wyatt, Prefab Sprout, Thomas Dolby & Radiohead.