Mark Bassey

Bassey’s playing covers many styles from swing to bop, as well as more contemporary fields. Musical associations include Julian Arguelles, Alan Barnes, Liane Carroll, Mike Gibbs, Charlotte Glasson, Nikki Iles, Billy Jenkins and the BBC Big Band, Lemke-Nendza-Hillmann Trio, Daphna Sadeh, Terry Seabrook, Stan Sulzmann, Clark Tracey and Kenny Wheeler. He has recorded widely with many people and released two albums under his own name: Mark Bassey’s Telling Stories and Bassey Plays Basie

Bassey has written over 30 big band arrangements (particularly for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra) - many original compositions and commissions including educational materials for the ABRSM and numerous other pieces for brass and sax ensembles (including Roger Argente’s Superbrass).

Bassey was born with no left hand and fingers missing on his right hand. He wears a split hook on his left arm, which he attaches to a piece of leather on his slide, and has a metal digit on his right hand which opposes the real finger. He plays left handed on a Rath 10 and a Bach 16, both with F attachments (to give him greater ease in reaching 6th and 7th positions) especially fitted by trombone maker Michael Rath,

Also in 1983, Bassey auditioned successfully for the European Youth Jazz Orchestra and in 1984 was offered the opportunity to take a study year at Trinity College of Music. There he studied classical trombone with Geoffrey Lindon, composition with Richard Arnell and big band jazz with Bobby Lamb. In 1985 he was invited, by Mark Nightingale, to join the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. During the subsequent decade he played with Loose Tubes, Brotherhood of Breath, Mike Westbrook, Stan Tracey and John Dankworth and Cleo Laine.

Bassey is a jazz faculty member at the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. He also has close links with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the City Literary Institute. He has been involved with jazz education since the mid-1980s, teaching trombone and running classes in harmony, improvisation, composition and arranging at many colleges in the UK including the Welsh College of Music & Drama, the Royal Northern College of Music, Leeds College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and Goldsmiths, University of London. He has been a regular tutor on many courses and workshops throughout the UK including Jazz School UK, Higham Hall, and the Jamey Aebersold Summer School (now defunct).Since 2015 Bassey has been running his own programme of classes on the South Coast (Brighton & Shoreham, East Sussex). Jazz Nuts & Bolts is a carefully developed series of weekly improvisation workshops which support a progression from beginner to advanced. Bassey also works in an educational role as a tutor/MD of various amateur ensembles.

Bassey began playing the trombone at the age of 11. He studied linguistics at University College London from 1979-82 but also found time to continue with his trombone studies, taking private lessons with Cliff Hardie. He also played in big bands at this time, notably the Brian Booth Jazz Orchestra (including Andy Panayi, Claude Deppa and Ralph Salmins). From 1983 - 1984 Bassey worked for the BBC in the Central Services Dept. During this time an opportunity arose to join Young Jazz (which later became Superjazz, led by Phil Revens). The experience of playing a week at Ronnie Scott’s with Young Jazz convinced him to become a professional trombonist.

Mark Bassey (born, Sheffield, England, 1961) is a jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, educator and band leader.