BIOGRAPHY
Mark A. Russo is a freelance jazz trumpet player and educator in the greater Cleveland area. He holds degrees in Music Performance in Jazz Studies from Bowling Green State University and in Music Education from Kent State University (Magna Cum Laude) and is seasoned educator and clinician in the Greater Cleveland and Akron area.
Mr. Russo is currently promoting his debut album as a leader entitled NEW AFFIRMATION, which features all original compositions and received a 4 STAR review on AllAboutJazz.com as well as other numerous accolades. As an educator, he is the founding member of THE JAZZ INITIATIVE, which is an ensemble dedicated to the advocacy of jazz education in the Greater Cleveland/Akron area. In addition, Mr. Russo has been an adjudicator and Guest Artist for numerous local high school and college Jazz Festivals and has written articles on improvisation, big band, and the Jazz Idiom for OMEA's quarterly publication of TRIAD.
As a performer, Mr. Russo has worked for Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and has performed extensively with such local groups as Bobby Selvaggio's 11 Piece Collective, The AVENUE from Cleveland Music Group (CMG), and has shared the stage with such artists as Ken Peplowski, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Carl Allen, Ingrid Jensen, John Bailey, Marvin Stamm, Allen Vizzutti, Randy Johnston, Wayne Bergeron, and Mike Lee. He has also recorded albums as a sideman with the likes of Bobby Selvaggio, Kevin Scaley, Jeremey Poparad, Asher Barkin and Lou Armagno to name a few.
Mr. Russo is a Thane Performance Trumpets and Torpedo Bags supported artist. He is an active member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) and The Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA), serving as the Jazz Editor of OMEA’s TRIAD magazine. Mr. Russo is also the Jazz Education Connection of Ohio (JECO) appointed Secretary, board member and representative for the Northeast Ohio area.