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Mark Berman
Mark Berman is a much sought after pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and music director. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, where his dad, Arnold “Sonny" Berman, a well known trumpet player and big band leader, taught the young musician classics like “Moonglow” by playing notes on the horn which he would expect his son to then chord out on the piano. The younger Berman recalls some early piano pounding at age five, followed by a lifelong love of Miles Davis, Glenn Miller, Count Basie and others. You name it, he heard it from his dad and all the other musicians in the family. These included his cousin, another Sonny Berman, a star trumpeter with Woody Herman’s famed Thundering Herd. Great-uncle Harry Berman was the conductor of the New Haven Symphony and his cousin Bill Rhein was the youngest member of the New York Philharmonic.
A graduate of the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, Berman has written for, played and recorded with the proverbial who’s who of jazz, pop and rock. His fun to read resume reads like a history of modern music: Illinois Jacquet, Jackie McLean (one of his former teachers), Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Wycliff Gordon, Mark Murphy, Betty Buckley, Hilary Kole, Houston Person, Nana Mouskouri, Petula Clark, Cornelius Bumpus, Lesley Gore, Gladys Knight, Hugh Jackman, Ben E King, Buster Poindexter, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Richie Havens, Phoebe Snow, Helen Reddy, Jennifer Holliday, Morris Pleasure and Phil Ramone, among many others.
Berman, who has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “The Today Show” and “Rosie O’Donnell,” has also been a powerful presence on Broadway, where he has conducted orchestras for Rent, Smokey Joe's Cafe and Blood Brothers and played lead piano on The Boy From Oz, Hairspray, The Life, 42nd Street, Dreamgirls, Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair and Bullets Over Broadway. He also served as conductor and music director for several productions at the renowned Westport Country Playhouse under artistic directors Joanne Woodward and Annie Keefe. His orchestrations and arrangements were featured in Marcy in the Galaxy, a world premiere musical by Nancy Shane presented by the Drama Desk Award winning Transport Group, and Berman is currently at work composing a site-specific symphonic piece weaving a variety of musical genres.
Berman played piano on the world famous theme to “Sex And The City," for which he also composed music. He has scored work for Showtime's “Nurse Jackie,” starring Edie Falco, and "Royal Pains" for USA starring Mark Feuerstein, as well as many other television programs. His film scoring credits are numerous, and he was recently featured on PRI's syndicated radio program Studio 360 hosted by Kurt Andersen, where his solo jazz piano work was highlighted.
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Mark Berman Power Trio Valentine Tonight At 78 Below New York 10 PM
Source:
Miranda Callaway
Mark Berman, whose iconic montuno piano playing on the theme to Sex and the City" assured his place in the pop culture pantheon, brings his hard- hitting power trio to 78 Below, 380 Columbus Avenue at 78th Street, tonight in a special Valentine's Day celebration from 10 pm 'til 1 am. Berman, whom Oscar host and Hollywood star Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) calls a rock of creativity" (the two have performed together live both in New York and Las Vegas), ...
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Mark Berman Power Trio Tonight At 78 Below (NYC) at 8PM
Source:
Miranda Callaway
Mark Berman, whose iconic montuno piano playing on the theme to Sex and the City" assured his place in the pop culture pantheon, brings his hard-hitting power trio to 78 Below, 380 Columbus Avenue at 78th Street, on Wednesday, January 9, from 8 pm until 10 pm. Berman, whom Oscar host and Hollywood star Hugh jackman (Les Misérables) calls a rock of creativity" (the two have performed together live both in New York and Las Vegas), will air his new ...
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Mark Berman Debuts New Power Trio At 78 Below, Wednesday January 9
Source:
Miranda Callaway
Mark Berman, whose iconic montuno piano playing on the theme to Sex and the City" assured his place in the pop culture pantheon, brings his hard-hitting power trio to 78 Below, 380 Columbus Avenue at 78th Street, on Wednesday, January 9, from 8 pm until 10 pm. Berman, whom Oscar host and Hollywood star Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) calls a rock of creativity" (the two have performed together live both in New York and Las Vegas), will air his new ...
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Mark Berman ("Sex and the City") Trio at NYC's "Top of the Rock" on February 23
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Mark Berman
Mark Berman, jazz piano star notable for his hot montuno piano playing on HBO's Sex and the City" theme song, as well as for his live playing with such stars as Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Wycliffe Gordon, to name but a few, brings his jazz trio to the 67th Floor Weather Room at the Top of the Rock, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Wednesday evening February 23, from 6PM-8PM. The Mark Berman Trio returns by popular demand to the early spring ...
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Mark Berman ("Sex and the City") Returns to NYC's "Top of the Rock" February 24
Source:
Michael Ricci
Mark Berman, jazz piano star notable for his hot montuno piano playing on HBO's Sex and the City" theme song, as well as for his live playing with such stars as Aretha Franklin, Mark Murphy, and Wycliffe Gordon, to name but a few, brings his jazz trio to the 67th Floor Weather Room at the Top of the Rock, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Wednesday evening February 24, from 6PM - 8PM.
The Mark Berman Trio returns by popular demand to the ...
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Pianist Mark Berman ("Sex and the City") at NYC's Top of the Rock Wed. 9/23
Source:
Michael Ricci
Mark Berman, jazz piano star notable for his hot montuno piano playing on the “Sex and the City” theme song, brings his jazz trio to the 67th Floor Weather Room at the Top of the Rock, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, this coming Wednesday evening September 23, from 6PM – 8PM. The Mark Berman Trio kicks off the Starlight Music Series, the first ever music series at the venue with a view." Come after work, before the show, or before dinner to ...
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Ken Ard, Vocal Sensation, with Pianist Mark Berman at the Metropolitan Room
Source:
All About Jazz
Dynamic Baritone Ken Ard, with Mark Berman and His Trio, Live at The Metropolitan Room, NYC, Monday, March 23 at 9:30 pm
New York, NY - March 21, 2009 - Rising star vocalist Ken Ard brings his sultry baritone back home from his European tour with the American songbook: Jazz 101, featuring Mark Berman, playing what Variety raves is dazzling piano." Daily Variety adds Ken Ard was born to be an entertainer, he radiates and mesmerizes." In a collaboration for ...
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Mark Berman: Piano Genius Behind "Sex and the City" and Hugh Jackman
Source:
All About Jazz
Pianist Berman Leads Trio with Vocalist Ken Ard, Live at The Metropolitan Room, NYC, Mondays, March 16 & 23
New York, NY - March 11, 2009 - Mark Berman is a rock of creativity, laughter and joy," says Hugh Jackman, Oscar host and Hollywood star, who spent over a year singing with Berman (on piano nightly) during his Tony Award-winning performance in The Boy from Ozon Broadway. Sarah Jessica Parker? Berman achieved pop culture glory when he played piano on ...
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“Berman, on piano, lays down all the right notes and chords with masterly musicianship . . .” WNTI-FM
“Wonderful and exciting.” Lesley Gore
“Brilliant.” Mike Metheny, RadioMike
“The latest from Mark Berman is great listening.” KMFB-FM
“Great.” RadioIO
“Stylishly interpreted.” Variety
“Witty, engaging.” SmoothVibes.com
“Cool jazz with a universal message.” Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson