Vaughn Nark

Vaughn Nark is a critically acclaimed trumpeter, flugelhornist, tromboneist and exclusive Yamaha clinician from Washington, DC. With a career that includes nearly two decades as a member of the United States Air Force premiere jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note, Vaughn has performed with many of the worlds finest artists and entertainers, including Dizzy Gillespie, Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, Louis Bellson, Henry Mancini, Arturo Sandoval, Stanley Turrentine, Slide Hampton, Lena Horne and Wynton Marsalis.

This distinguished artist and educator performed as the lead trumpet for the inaugural session of the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Masterworks Orchestra under the direction of Gunther Schuller and David Baker, and more recently performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Described by Dr. Herb Wong as "tomorrow's inspiration today", Mr. Nark is one of America's most popular and in-demand guest artists and clinicians.

Overview

Vaughn Nark began playing the trumpet at the tender age of six. His father Leon, also a trumpeter, was his first teacher. At seven, he was exposed to Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Maynard Ferguson, and Doc Severinsen. forever changing the ears of this aspiring musician from Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania. Soon after graduating from high school, Vaughn auditioned and was accepted by the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., where he became a member of its premiere jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note. He occupied the lead and jazz trumpet chair for nearly 20 years.

Now retired from the Airmen of Note, Vaughn leads a quintet in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and travels extensively throughout the country and abroad, performing as guest artist at various club and jazz festival venues.

Vaughn is pleased to be a new member of the faculty of the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland and is available for private instruction.

Mr. Nark is also a Yamaha Clinician and is available for clinics and adjudication. He plays the Yamaha YTR-6335S trumpet.

Discography

Vaughn has three records available through Summit Records.

Panorama

Tracks:
#The Work Song (Adderly)
#Lullaby of Broadway (Warren)
#Crush on You (Gershwin)
#Birk's Works (Gillespie)
#All Blues (Davis)
#Cavatina (Myers)
#Over the Rainbow (Arlen)
#Europa (Santana)
#Trinidad Goodbye (Barron)
#America (Ward)

Flying High

Tracks:
#Lorraine (Gillespie/Crotty)
#Tidal Breeze (Danko/Crotty)
#Brigitte (Hubbard/Cray)
#Red Clay (Hubbard & Murphy/Crotty)
#White Christmas (Berlin/Crotty)
#Con Alma (Gillespie/Crotty)
#Night Clouds (Crotty)
#Centri-Fusion (Crotty)
#It Could Happen To You (Van Heusen/Crotty)
#Cherokee (Noble/Taylor)
#My Funny Valentine (Rodgers & Hart/Williams)

omethin' Special

Tracks:
#Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Romberg)
#Fiesta Mojo (Gillespie)
#My Funny Valentine (Rodgers/Hart)
#Tanga (Gillespie)
#Billie's Bounce (Parker)
#Quotes & Notes (Nark)
#Impressions (Coltrane)
#She Was Too Good To Me (Rodgers/Hart)
#Courtship (Carter)
#Povo (Hubbard)

Quotes about Vaughn Nark

"The first time Vaughn sat in with me I realized that he was something special"- Dizzy Gillespie

"Tomorrow's inspiration today...Vaughn Nark is not only something special... Vaughn Nark is something else!"- Dr. Herb Wong, Past President International Association of Jazz Educators

"Brace yourself. Vaughn Nark is the sort of jazz trumpeter for whom not even the sky is the limit. When his horn soars above double C on his new album, as it often does with exacting precision and blazing flourish, the notes seem Heaven-bound, so much so that perhaps even the trumpet-toting angel Gabriel may feel a slight twinge of envy"- Mike Joyce for The Washington Post

"Consistently brilliant"- John S. Wilson for High Fidelity

"A soaring musician"- Gene Lees for The Jazz Letter

"A fierce trumpeter, a true innovator. Usually heard with USAF bands, and occasionally on his own in post-bop mode. A great soloist."- Michael G. Nastos, All-Music Guide

Career highlights

Mr. Nark has performed with a veritable "Who's Who" of the world's finest jazz musicians and entertainers including:
*Louie Bellson
*Tony Bennett
*Paquito D'Rivera
*Jon Faddis
*Dizzy Gillespie
*Slide Hampton
*Lena Horne
*Freddie Hubbard
*Henry Mancini
*Wynton Marsalis
*Carmen McRae
*James Moody
*Red Rodney
*Lalo Schifrin
*Arturo Sandoval
*Doc Severinsen
*Bobby Shew
*Stanley Turrentine

Vaughn has also performed as lead trumpet for the inaugural session of the Smithsonian Institution's Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, conducted by Gunther Schuller and David Baker. Most recently, Vaughn performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Airmen of Note

With a career that includes two decades as a member of the United States Air Force premiere jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note, Vaughn has performed with many of the world's finest artists and entertainers. Touring the globe, he performed as lead trumpeter and featured jazz soloist on a vast array of highly touted recordings. He has appeared at such major musical events as the "Jacksonville JVC" and "Detroit Montreux" jazz festivals, in addition to literally hundreds of concert engagements. By Presidential Order, he was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal for his "distinctive accomplishments and contributions" while a member of this universally respected ensemble.

Yamaha Clinician

Vaughn Nark is an admired brass clinician and studio musician who has served as an adjudicator, guest performer and clinician at such coveted events as the International Association of Jazz Educators' (IAJE), "New York Brass Conference" and the "Southeast Brass Conference." He appears throughout the year at a host of the nation's finest high schools, universities and conservatories as a soloist and clinician. As a Yamaha performing artist and clinician, Vaughn Nark plays the YTR-6335S Yamaha trumpet.

Awards

Mr. Nark has received mention on several occasions in the prestigious Down Beat International Jazz Critics poll.

While a member of the Airmen of Note, he was presented, by Presidential Order, the Meritorious Service Medal for his "distinctive accomplishments and contributions".

The Vaughn Nark Quintet won Black Entertainment Television's (BET) Jazz Discovery Showcase for 1997 and 1998.

External links

* [http://www.vaughnnark.com/ Vaughn Nark's personal website]
* [http://www.trumpetstuff.com/images/Nark/ Trumpet Stuff's website on Vaughn]