SHOWTIMES: 7:30PM AND 9:30PM. The Velvet Note presents…JAZZ MEETS MOTOWN with the Mark Rapp Funktet. The Mark Rapp Funktet performs unique arrangements of popular songs from MoTown, Pop and everything in between. Jazz Meets Motown draws from classic Motown favorites and takes you on an exciting jazz journey.
Mark Rapp: trumpetJonathan Knott: guitarAntonio McKie: keysRodney Foster, Jr.: bassRoderick Johnson: drums
ABOUT MARK RAPPTrumpeter Mark Rapp has released 8 diverse recordings and appears as a sideman on a myriad of projects including Disney’s “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” alongside Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, The Bad Plus, Joshua Redman and more. Rapp’s celebrated 2009 debut release “Token Tales” earned him a spot as a “Top Emerging Trumpeter” in Downbeat Magazine, sold out the Blue Note (NYC) and debuted at the famed Newport Jazz Festival. Rapp is a featured artist in Mellen Press’ “How Jazz Trumpeters Understand Their Music” among a prestigious list including Terence Blanchard, Lew Soloff, Freddie Hubbard, Tim Hagans, Dave Douglas and more. Rapp also composed and produced a jazz ballet “Woven: Life in Notes and Steps” (wovenballet.com). He has performed in jazz clubs and festivals around the world from Croatia, Brasil, Austria, Switzerland and USA including back-to-back appearances at the 2017 & 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. 
Rapp has performed in jazz clubs around the world from Snug Harbor (New Orleans), Blue Note (NYC), The Jazz Standard (NYC), Yoshi’s (San Francisco), Blues Alley (Washington, D.C.), Jazzland (Vienna, Austria), AMR (Geneva, Switzerland), Clube do Choro (Natal, Brasil) to Jazz Tunnel (Zagreb, Croatia). Jazz festivals around the world from the JVC Newport Jazz Festival, Fillmore Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, WC Handy Festival, Festival AMR des Cropettes (Switzerland), JazzTimes Festival in Croatia to the Jazz&Blues Festival in Garanhuns, Brazil. Mark was featured at Cirque du Soleil’s opening gala for KA in Las Vegas and invited by Guy Laliberte to perform for his birthday. Mark has been guest soloist with Big Bands, recorded as a special guest artist on CDs, played in the United Nations Symphony Orchestra, and has had many jazz greats perform in his bands including bassist James Genus (Herbie Hancock, Brecker Brothers, Saturday Night Live, Aretha Franklin), Walter Blanding, Jr, Don Braden, Wycliffe Gordon, Nate Smith, Clerence Penn, Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson and many others. 
“Rapp has his own way of defining jazz, which keeps its standard principles while delving into the experimental side.”– JazzTimes “Rapp is willing to tackle the history of this music with his eyes on the past and his mind on the present and future of this music.”– AllAboutJazz.com “One can’t help but sense a distinct identity to Rapp in both his composing and playing and for this reason, we will be hearing a lot more from him.”– Jazz Improv NY Magazine