Mark Izu

Mark Izu is an American jazz double bass player and composer. He is of Japanese ancestry and frequently combines jazz with Asian traditional musics (particularly the ancient Japanese court music known as gagaku) in his compositions. He has performed with Anthony Brown and Jon Jang. Mark Izu is a seminal leader in the'Asian American Jazz movement. His compositions include symphony, film, theater, dance and jazz. The principal curator of the original Asian American Jazz Festival held at the 'Asian Art Museum in San Francisco’s 'Golden Gate Park for nearly two decades, he helped establish the genre.

In addition to the double bass, he also plays the Japanese shō and Chinese sheng (both mouth organs).

He lives in San Francisco, California with his wife, playwright and performer Brenda Wong Aoki, and son.

Mark Izu received a Northern California Regional EMMY® Award for outstanding Musical Composition/Arrangement for his score for 'Bolinao 52, a film about the Vietnamese Boat People which also received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary.

Contents

Discography

Navarasa: Duets for Shakuhachi & Contrabass (2010)

Legend of Morning Glory (2010)

Threading Time (2007)

Mermaid Meat (2007)

Last Dance (2002)

Dragon Painter (2007)

Recordings

Cat Chat, Tokyo Broadcast System (1999) TBS CD ROM

Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite, Asian American Orchestra (1999)

The Queen’s Garden, Brenda Wong Aoki (1998)

Dreams & Illusions: Tales of the Pacific Rim, with Brenda Aoki

Circle of Fire, Mark Izu & Circle of Fire

San Francisco Jazz Festival 96

Tiananmen, Jon Jang & The Pan Asian Arkestra Soul Note

Quest, Michael West

Live in Berlin, United Front

Whats the Difference Between Stripping and Playing the Violin? with Miya Masaoka

Family, Anthony Brown

Big Bands Behind Bared Wire, Asian American Jazz Orchestra (1998)

Jang, Jon Jang

Song for Manong, Fred Houn

Never Give Up, Jon Jang & The Pan Asian Arkestra

Self Defense, Jon Jang & The Pan Asian Arkestra Soul Note

Francis Wong, Francis Wong & the Great Wall Ensemble

Crystalization of the Mind, Jason Michaels

In Xinjiang Time, Phonix Spring Ensemble, Betty Wong OWR

Travel of a Zen Babtist, Mark Izu/Lewis Jordan

Are You Chinese or Charlie Chan, Jon Jang

Ohm: Unit of Resistance, United Front

Of Blues Myself & I, Ray Collins

Path with a Heart, United Front

Monk Anthony Brown ‘s Asian American Orchestra

Russel Hisashi Baba, Russel Baba

External links

See also