Jazz Messengers

Jazz pianist Mark Kramer brings his top-notch credentials to Elm Lowne in Yardley, Pa.

By: Matt Smith
   You can always distinguish the real jazz musicians from the pretenders with one simple question: "Who have you played with?" Veteran Philadelphia-area pianist Mark Kramer can answer with names like bassist Eddie Gomez, his longtime musical partner, as well as guitarist Jimmy Bruno, drummer Lenny White, bassist Charles Fambrough and vibraphonist Khan Jamal.
   Mr. Kramer, who regularly plays top-notch New York City clubs such as Birdland and Iridium, will bring his impressive resume to Yardley, Pa., for a concert at Elm Lowne Nov. 12. The show is the first in the new Bucks County Jazz Society’s Jazz Masters Series, which is the brainchild of Yardley resident Kurt Siegel.
   Mr. Siegel and Mr. Kramer became acquainted when the latter was in residence at the Temperance House in Newtown, Pa., in the 1980s and ’90s. "You heard real jazz — with great guest musicians every week," recalls Mr. Siegel.
   Unfortunately, that residency ended when the Temperance House changed hands in the late ’90s. With Mr. Siegel’s help, Mr. Kramer unsuccessfully attempted to find another Bucks County restaurant to take the reins. Eventually, Mr. Siegel took matters into his own hands, creating the jazz society last year and booking the Elm Lowne concert himself.
   Mr. Kramer, who was educated at Temple University and lives in Blue Bell, Pa., will be joined by New York City bassist Scott Lee on a mix of jazz standards, a handful of his more than 3,000 original tunes, and selections from his adaptations of Broadway and film scores.
   His latest release is Harry Potter Jazz on Eroica Records. "That just came out about a week ago," says Mr. Kramer. "That’s the first movie (‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’), scored by the great John Williams, and I took all the principal themes and melodies and transformed them for a chamber-jazz ensemble, a jazz trio."
   That CD features Mr. Kramer on piano with drummer John Mosemann and bassist Matthew Parrish. It’s Mr. Kramer’s second 2005 release, after a recording of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony in G minor with Mr. Mosemann and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi, also on Eroica Records. That disc features the entire symphony, plus jazz improvisations on sections, all built on Mozart’s harmonic structures.
   In February, the prolific pianist will release The Art of the Heart with Mr. Gomez. "That contains contemporary romantic love songs of the 20th century — Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis," Mr. Kramer notes. "It’s all there. I’m very proud of that one."
   Whether it’s film scores, symphonies, love songs or straight-ahead originals, Mr. Kramer is focused on sharing the "the live vibration of acoustic jazz music" with the masses, he says. "I want to bring people back to something basic."
The Mark Kramer Duo will perform at Elm Lowne, 1324 Dolington Road, Yardley, Pa., Nov. 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Refreshments will be available during intermission. The concert is the first in Bucks County Jazz Society’s Jazz Masters Series. For information, call (215) 736-2567. Mark Kramer on the Web: www.thejazzmall.com