GM3038 Mark Whitecage: Split Personality

Long considered a musician’s musician, Mark Whitecage has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists including Eric Dolphy, Anthony Braxton, Paul Motian, Jeanne Lee and Dave Douglas, in a career spanning four decades. His music reflects an approach to jazz composition and improvisation popular in the vibrant New York loft scene of the late ’60s and early ’70s, in which relatively simple written frameworks allow for extended improvisation.

This collaborative approach encourages maximum participation in the creation of the music with the minimum imposition of the composer’s will. On this GM release the trio explores the ‘outer limits’ within a more structured tune-based format. They share a keen sense of dramatic flare, a collective feel for tension and release in performance, and the common goal of creating musical experiences that are rich in contrasting ensemble densities, dynamics, tempi and tone colors.