Gross, Mark, alto saxophone, b. Baltimore (MD), 20 February 1966. His parents were Lucy Cornelia Gross (b. Feb 15, 1928, Hamlet (NC)) and Norwood Eugene Gross Sr. March 1, 1928 Baltimore (MD). Mark’s father, Mt. Zion C.O.G.I.C. His siblings include Norwood Eugene Gross Jr., Judith Carol Pearson and Otto LaMonte Gross Sr., Brenda Mae McMillan and Barbara Jeanette Johnson, and Vincent Eric Gross Sr. who is a trumpet player as well as a vocalist. He is the youngest member of seven. After discovering his passion for classical music at the Baltimore School for the Arts in Baltimore, Mark attended Howard University for one semester and Berklee College of Music for four years. In 1988, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music. He studied with Chris Ford (1980-1984) at the Baltimore School for the Arts. He was a student of Reggie Jackson at Howard University (1984-1985). He studied with Joe Viola at Howard University (1984-1985) and Bill Pierce in the Berklee College of Music (1985-1988). Mark has toured the globe with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which was conducted by the late Mercer Ellington (1993-1996). He is now being led by Paul Mercer Ellington, his son. While he works with Philip Harper, Tom Harrell and Nat Adderley for two years (1995-1997), Mercer also manages to find time to work with him. Mark Gross currently works with the Dave Holland Big Band. These musicians and other professionals have formed long-lasting and lasting professional relationships. As his colleagues Donald Harrison and Joe Dukes, George Benson, Mark Whitfield and Joe Dukes, Mark worked with Captain Jack McDuff in Harlem (NYC). New York jazz fans have also been captivated by Mark’s collaboration with Joe Chambers, Mulgrew Miller, and Spirit of Life Ensemble. Mark has also played on Broadway. He was a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra (1989-1992) for three years. In 1992, he appeared in “Five Guys Named Moe”, a Broadway musical. The musical was based on Louis Jordan’s music and ran for more than a year. Sandra Reaves’ one woman theater piece, “The Late Great Ladies Of Jazz And Blues,” has been enhanced by Mark’s saxophone. Mark and Reaves have explored the womenly magic of artists such as Ma Rainey and Mahalia Jackson. Mark also appeared in “Kat and the Kings”, a Broadway musical (1999-2000). This musical examines the joyous sounds that emerged from oppression in the 1950’s in Cape Town. Mark also performed in “Kat and the Kings” (1999 – 2000). Gross plays the Yanagisawa Silver Body Alto Saxophone and Selmer Super Action 80 Series III soprano Saxophone. He uses Vandoren Reeds
