Bio

Mark McGrain (born June 2, 1954) is a jazz and improvisational music composer, trombonist, and educator living in New Orleans, U.S.A.  He is the leader of the group PLUNGE and has produced four, critically acclaimed album releases of his work with that group.  He also performs regularly with singer John Boutté and guitarist /song-writer Chip Wilson.  He has been a member of the Anders Osborne band, Michael Ray’s (Sun Ra, Cool and the Gang) Cosmic Krewe, Cyril Neville’s band, Kirk Joseph’s (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) Backyard Groove, Freddy Omar con su banda, and the New Orleans Brass Quartet.  As a freelance musician, he performs frequently with other New Orleans groups and touring artists including Medeski, Martin, and Wood, and the late trombonist Al Grey (Count Basie).  Before relocating from Boston to New Orleans in 1996, he taught jazz composition and improvisation at Berklee College of Music; he is the author of the text, Music Notation (Hal Leonard Publications).  Prior to teaching, he worked as a Hollywood music copyist in Los Angeles, California.

McGrain’s father introduced him to the cornet at age five.  He switched to the baritone horn at age nine eventually picking up the trombone in 1965 at age eleven.  By the age of fifteen he was working steadily playing high-school dances and college parties as a member of a rock band with organ & horn section.  The band played played cover by Wilson Pickett, Ottis Redding, Chicago, and Sly and the Family Stone).During this period he studied trombone with bass trombonist David Richie (Rochester Philharmonic) and big band ensemble, arranging, and improvisation with Chuck Mangione and Bill Reichenbach.  With this ensemble he had the opportunity to meet and play with many visiting arts including Philly Joe Jones, Clark Terry, Jerry Mulligan, and Louis Bellson.  He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying trombone with Phil Wilson (Woody Herman) and Rick Stepton (Buddy Rich, Manard Ferguson, Light House), and arranging with Herb Pomeroy and Michael Gibbs.   He eventually relocated to Los Angeles to work in music preparation for major television and film productions.  When Berklee College of Music wanted to create a music notation curriculum and textbook they tapped McGrain.  He moved to Boston where he also taught harmony, composition, and arranging.  McGrain moved to New Orleans U.S.A. in 1996 where he continues to work as a trombonist and arranger while raising his family of five children and five grandchildren