Mark Etheredge

Although it took years for keyboardist Mark Etheredge to work through the feelings of isolation and identity issues that inspired the ten songs he wrote on his third album, “Connected,” it took radio programmers no time at all to add the title cut to playlists, swiftly propelling it into the No. 1 spot on RadioWave chart and No. 6 on the Billboard singles tally. The collection was produced by two-time GRAMMY® winner Paul Brown.

The first radio single "Connected" ranked No. 31 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz 2016 Year End Chart and ranked No. 2 on the Groove Jazz Music Top 100 for 2016. On January 3, 2017 the second radio single "Roger That" debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Most Added Smooth Jazz Songs Chart.

Etheredge is clearly in a happy place as evidenced by the plethora of joyous melodies he nimbly deploys throughout the “Connected” album. While tension is apparent on “Lost In The Shuffle,” the song that specifically addresses when he was plagued by bullying as a teenager, the notes and harmonies he utilizes to tell his story go from emotional and vulnerable to empowering and triumphant as his piano and keyboards fend off truculent taunts from Brown’s electric guitar and Greg Vail’s saxophone. With Brown helming the production, the record is plush and polished, augmented by a horn section and the presence of top-notch session players and soloists, including guitarist Chuck Loeb (Fourplay), saxophonist Andy Suzuki and trumpeter/horn arranger Lee Thornburg.

In addition to his work as a solo artist, Etheredge has performed alongside notable artists such as Tom Politzer (Tower of Power), Danny Hull (Journey), Charlene Moore (Weather Girls), Jeanie Tracy (Two Tons of Fun), Charles Williams (Johnny Otis), Clifford Coulter (John Lee Hooker), Clare Fischer, Marsha Stevens, and more. His groups have opened for Bobby McFerrin, Sergio Mendes, Tuck and Patti, Betty Carter, Sheila Jordan, and numerous others.

Etheredge studied jazz performance at De Anza College and San Jose State University. On his musical journey he absorbed a wide spectrum of genres including jazz, pop, classical, rock, gospel, blues, R&B, Afro-Cuban, and Afro-Brazilian styles.

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