Mark Lowrey

Figuring Out the Keys to the Future of Jazz

Mark Lowrey. Photography by Corky Carrel.

Smoke hangs in the air as the midnight hour approaches. Neon hums in the windows as people trickle in and out of the door and into the frosty night. It’s a motley crew on the stage as a pixie-haired singer rides the scales on a jazz standard. The bass player scowls his way through a solo and the drummer languishes on his. All the while, the figure at the piano keeps in constant motion.

In a black suit with bow tie hanging loose, Mark Lowrey convulses over the keys as he keeps the Mark Lowrey Quartet, featuring Shay Estes, going on a Saturday night at Jardine’s. He’s a cocktail of Dean Martin and Brad Mehldau with a dash of Tom Waits for atmosphere.

When Lowrey started taking piano lessons at age eight, he had no idea it would take him so far. Trained in classical music, Lowrey studied piano with private teachers all through childhood. His listening included Tori Amos and a few Chick Corea records, but no other jazz to speak of. At the age of seventeen, he attended a jazz camp at the University of Kansas, where he met Jeff Harshbarger, the bass player that he continues to name as one of his influences and mentors. Lowrey’s early jazz training lacked depth.

“This is embarrassing, but there was a test that asked the question, what instrument did Charlie Parker play?” Lowrey mentions. He answered trumpet (the correct response is saxophone), but his ignorance didn’t last long. Subsequent to the camp, he started attending jam sessions at The Blue Room, meeting people, and discovering whom he should listen to musically. The community embraced the young talent, taking him under their collective wing and introducing him to the world of Kansas City jazz.

Being a piano player has been a boon for Lowrey. The diversity of the instrument has allowed him to pursue many types of music, which is precisely why he loves it. “What I love––maybe it’s an ADHD thing––but I love being able to do so many different styles of music and try to approach each style as what it is.” Lowrey says. “I feel really lucky to be able to play many different styles of gigs. “

Those different styles include not only jazz, but also Argentine tango, salsa, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and folk. His current line up is a diverse offering of styles, just the way he likes it. In addition to his own group, the Mark Lowrey Trio, and the Mark Lowrey Quartet featuring Shay Estes, he performs as part of Barclay Martin’s ensemble. Martin’s modern folk music is far away from the improvisational style that Lowrey is known for, but Lowrey is excited about the ensemble’s sound.

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