Mark is an accomplished jazz bassist, composer, producer, and visual artist whose journey is as bold and transformative as the music and art he creates. For over four decades, he played the electric Fender Jazz Bass with passion and precision, shaping a career rooted in groove, expression, and storytelling.
But everything changed when Mark was diagnosed with stage head and neck cancer. The illness and its treatment left him with a 30% hearing loss in his left ear due to radiation. — but in that silence, something remarkable emerged. Mark began hearing sound differently — with new textures, new colors, and new emotional depth. Rather than step away from music, he embraced this altered perception as a gift.
In an extraordinary move, Mark put down the electric bass he'd played for 45 years and picked up the upright bass — an instrument he had never played before. Just two years later, he recorded his first all-acoustic album, Away From The Noise — a deeply personal and sonically rich work that reflects his journey from struggle to clarity.
Mark’s creative rebirth didn’t stop with music. As his hearing changed, so did his vision — literally and artistically. He began to “see louder,” experiencing the world through vivid colors and emotional resonance. This awakening led to the birth of his Hamptonwoods Art Collection, a raw, unfiltered body of visual work that captures deep human emotion with bold strokes, vibrant hues, and unflinching honesty.
Today, Mark stands not only as a survivor, but as a creator transformed. His art — both musical and visual — transcends genre and medium, reflecting a life lived with courage, reinvention, soul and a profound trust in God.
But everything changed when Mark was diagnosed with stage head and neck cancer. The illness and its treatment left him with a 30% hearing loss in his left ear due to radiation. — but in that silence, something remarkable emerged. Mark began hearing sound differently — with new textures, new colors, and new emotional depth. Rather than step away from music, he embraced this altered perception as a gift.
In an extraordinary move, Mark put down the electric bass he'd played for 45 years and picked up the upright bass — an instrument he had never played before. Just two years later, he recorded his first all-acoustic album, Away From The Noise — a deeply personal and sonically rich work that reflects his journey from struggle to clarity.
Mark’s creative rebirth didn’t stop with music. As his hearing changed, so did his vision — literally and artistically. He began to “see louder,” experiencing the world through vivid colors and emotional resonance. This awakening led to the birth of his Hamptonwoods Art Collection, a raw, unfiltered body of visual work that captures deep human emotion with bold strokes, vibrant hues, and unflinching honesty.
Today, Mark stands not only as a survivor, but as a creator transformed. His art — both musical and visual — transcends genre and medium, reflecting a life lived with courage, reinvention, soul and a profound trust in God.