Marc Wagnon was born and raised in Switzerland. He began studying music on the piano at an early age, and then started playing drums in marching bands. He was fifteen when he bought his first drum set. Later, he formed his own band and composed lyrics and music that were heavily influenced by British progressive rock of the 70’s (King Krimson Soft Machine, Led Zepplin, Soft Machine) and other artists. He continued his classical percussion studies at Geneva Conservatory for five years. During those years, he was a percussionist in many local bands and theaters. He was attracted to the vibraphone and became more interested in jazz and jazz-rock after being inspired by Miles Davis and Mahawishnu Orchestra, Return To Forever and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Marc continued his studies at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where he honed his composition and mallet technique. Marc also met Dave Douglas and Dave Kikowski, who were like-minded musicians. He decided to visit New York City to experience the real thing. Marc began private conga lessons in New York with Frankie Malabe. He also joined a Brazilian drumming group, where he learned Latin American rhythms. Marc founded Dr. Nerve along with Nick Didkowski, which recorded 7 albums. He then started Shadowlines, which was stylistically more in line with his musical vision. Two CDs were released by him: Shadowlines and An Afterthought. Marc’s style evolved in composition and free improvisation while working with many musicians in the downtown scene. Marc formed the group Tunnels in the early 1990’s with Percy Jones (a world-renowned bassist). They released a critically acclaimed CD 1994 and “Painted Rock” 1999. With Tunnels, he recorded five more albums. The band split in 2009. Marc also appears on “Manifest Destiny”, a CD featuring the legendary English band Brand X. Marc has been a teacher over the past 20 years. He has worked with visually impaired musicians at Lighthouse Music School. He also teaches ensembles and private lessons. Marc also led workshops at the EJMA Jazz School in Lausanne. Marc is also part of the Nuove musiche group with Sarah Pillow. They have released two ambitious CDs, “Nuove Musikhe” and “Remixes”, which combine early music, jazz, rock, and world music. Marc’s last solo album, “Conjunction”, was a collaboration with Mike Clark and Paul Jackson. This CD includes four original compositions by Marc as well as others by Neal Kirkwood and Jed Levy. “Earth is a Cruel Master” is Marc’s latest solo album and is a musical exploration of musings on scientific studies, climate change and how humans are or aren’t dealing with it from http://buckyballmusic.com
