Mark Izu is a composer and musician. Mark's compositions are characterized by his seamless
integration of cross-cultural instrumentation into the jazz genre. In addition
to the double bass Mark plays several Asian instruments including the sheng (a
Chinese multi-reed organ) and the Japanese sho. As the artistic director of the
Asian-American Jazz Festival for the past 14 years, Mark has received both
national and international attention for developing a new style of music, known
as Asian-American Jazz. Mark also served as curator for the San Francisco Jazz
Festival's New Silk Road series, in which he composed music for and accompanied
world-renowned percussionist Zakir Hussein. Mark has performed his compositions
throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He was recently commissioned
by the Asian-American Jazz Orchestra and the U.S. Congressional Civil Liberties
Public Education Fund to create Last Dance, a multi-media jazz and taiko
commemoration of Japanese-American internment during WWII.
Mark Izu is a composer and musician. Mark's compositions are characterized by his seamless
integration of cross-cultural instrumentation into the jazz genre. In addition
to the double bass Mark plays several Asian instruments including the sheng (a
Chinese multi-reed organ) and the Japanese sho. As the artistic director of the
Asian-American Jazz Festival for the past 14 years, Mark has received both
national and international attention for developing a new style of music, known
as Asian-American Jazz. Mark also served as curator for the San Francisco Jazz
Festival's New Silk Road series, in which he composed music for and accompanied
world-renowned percussionist Zakir Hussein. Mark has performed his compositions
throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. He was recently commissioned
by the Asian-American Jazz Orchestra and the U.S. Congressional Civil Liberties
Public Education Fund to create Last Dance, a multi-media jazz and taiko
commemoration of Japanese-American internment during WWII.