Mark Rapp - I remember one day, after having been at the University of New Orleans for a few months, passing Ellis in the hallway and I stopped him to say, "I still can't get over the fact I'm studying under you! It's amazing…" And so on I went, practically drooling on him. He said, "Hey Rapp. Take all of that energy and excitement and put it in your horn and you'll be ok."

During rehearsals for the premiere of my extended Jazz suite A Soul's Journey I started off by going into story after story of each movement's meaning, what emotions we'll be conveying, what this note and chord is supposed to symbolize and so on. After a few minutes, Ellis stopped me and said, "Let's just play it. The music will tell us." I learned when you write a song, if you compose it effectively, the story you wish to tell will be told - no explanations needed.

He's a fun, caring, sincere, encouraging, honest and brilliant man, educator and leader to study under. He appreciated all of the students and never showed favouritism. Even the cats that weren't all that good, he would keep pushing them along and help them grow and enjoy the art of creating and playing music. After all, to enjoy the process, especially the exposed, raw process of being a musician is crucial to a fulfilling life.

When you're around greatness like that, every little comment, action, or gesture means something. In other words, his influence on me is vast. And having the opportunity to see him play every week with his band - to witness his quiet leadership, hear his original compositions or interpretations on standards - was completely inspiring.

Musically, the lessons he was trying to teach me then, I sometimes feel I am only now starting to act upon and live. One time I was sitting beside him at his piano in his office and asking him about a couple of complicated chords. He played the two chords and said, "Just look at the notes the chords give to you. Use those notes. Make a melody from them." Sounds simple enough, right? Well, I think it is only human to complicate matters and I had quite the knack for making the simple, complex. He was trying to teach me not to over-think things - the answer is right there in front of you. Sometimes, it's right in front of your nose.

Mark - Developing my sound and my music to where it is today has been a very long and sometimes painful journey. For the first time as a composer and a performer, I feel very exciting and anxious to share my work with the public. I didn't think I was ready before. Now, I'm hungry as a lion to offer it to you.

The past 6 years or so, I've wrestled with wanting to be a modern jazz player like a Nicholas Payton or Christian Scott and it was during a recording session a few years back that I had the clear realization that my sound, what I love to play, the music that speaks the most to me is not modern jazz, it's not be-bop or swing or traditional jazz. It's not a plethora of complex chords and unusual rhythms or angular, disjointed lines or meandering, wandering melodies and it's not the music of Clifford Brown or Louis Armstrong and it's definitely not abstract bombastic jazz. It is music that grooves - music with memorable melodies - engaging music with a sexy ambience - enriching with captivating sounds.

It's not easy "coming into your own." My head was filled with doubts. I felt if I didn't play standards or play what other cats are playing that what I was creating somehow wasn't good enough. All I wanted to play was solid grooves and sweet melodies. I made the decision to just go with my thing and find performance opportunities to share it.

You see, music is supposed to be fun and not a struggle. And what I have fun playing are my compositions which are very thematic, often touching - you know that feeling you get in your gut when you're watching a dramatic scene in a movie and the score weaves in and out of the dialogue then builds to a climax taking your breath away - that is what I try to capture in my writing and playing. At any rate, I made the decision to stop trying to be what I thought others wanted me to be, to stop trying to be something I'm not and lay claim to my sound and my music and make it the best I can.

I was introduced to the didgeridoo by these great musicians I played with in the band New World Funk Ensemble back in New Orleans. It has such an awesome sound to it and everyone takes notice of it when it's played. There is something so ancient and yet relevant to the didgeridoo sound you can't help but enjoy it. From there, I never stopped playing it and I would bring it out to my jazz gigs and play it every now and then just to break things up a bit - keep the evening fresh and spontaneous. And it never fails to do just that. I use it to lay down an organic foundation on which to explore some of the ideals inherit in jazz music: improvisation, group communication, groove and the blues. Most every time, what we play on the didge is raw and in the moment; although recently, I've started to jot down some of the more memorable jams and now we play them as compositions like "1st Minute, 1st Round" which you heard on my rough mixes for my record.

As for the use of electronics… yes indeed. I love my wah-pedal and a touch of reverb. I feel like a different player and play differently. It puts me in a different place in my mind and I often feel freer and less constrained. But it's not all that new to use such devices in a jazz setting. Miles did it in the late 1960's and on. Perhaps it's new to being widely accepted which is a great thing, because my band and I often explore different sonic possibilities.

Akbar - When listening to your tunes, some of them such as 'Nuff Time' or '1st Minute, 1st Round remind me of Miles'Davis "Jean-Pierre" or some Terence Blanchard's famous tracks. To what extent did these stellar musicians influence your sound?

Mark - I love Miles's playing and Terence is an idol of mine so if you are hearing some of their influence in my writing and playing, that is a huge compliment and I thank you. Neither composition was written out of a conscious nod to either musician though. Actually, "'Nuff Time" grew out of a Charlie Parker phrase I really dug. I was practicing it, but I'm always hearing grooves under everything I do, so as I'm practicing this one measure be-bop lick I'm hearing what became the bass line of the tune. That song came together in about 30 minutes. Most of my compositions, if they don't come out of me in a very short amount of time, most often, it won't develop into something I feel good about bringing to the bandstand.

"1st minute, 1st round" was a didge jam we did in one take during the recording session. We recorded a number of jams that day actually, but this one was simply too good. So we recorded the didge and my band in one-take, then I had the engineer play the track back in my headphones while I recorded my trumpet, using a wah-pedal, slight reverb and echo effects on top of it in another take. It was all just a big in-the-moment musical experience. Later, during the mix, my producer Jason Olaine took one of the melodic fragments I played and we used it as a recurring theme. A poster of the famous photograph of Ali standing over a knocked-out Sonny Liston was the inspiration for the title, "1st Minute, 1st Round."

Miles and Terence are both a continuing influence on my developing confidence and efforts to play specific, meaningful phrases in my improvisations. Miles in the way he'll allow so much space and feel comfortable in the silence and Terence because he's always going for something new and exciting on stage. He isn't satisfied with rehashing or presenting predetermined licks; rather, he plays in the moment without fear or worry if he misses a note, because he knows that we know we're all here to experience more than the mundane.

Akbar - You only perform your own compositions and your own arrangements of jazz standards. What are the reasons behind this choice?

Mark - This goes back to me discovering and accepting who I am as a musician and my decision to be the best ME I can. I'm not interested in playing like someone else or to please anyone else by sounding like everyone else. I'm an artist and I only have my best musical efforts to offer. Miles Davis didn't hear music like Monk did. Can you imagine if Miles tried to make a living by only playing Monk's compositions in Monk's style? We wouldn't even be mentioning his name - there would be no Kind of Blue, no Sketches of Spain. I made a conscious decision to explore what I have to contribute to the world of music.

My debut record is filled with 12 songs. Songs you'll find yourself remembering, even whistling long after you've heard them; songs which lend themselves as great vehicles for other musicians to play and to explore improvisations. One never knows, they may become standards of their own!

Akbar - Miles Davis used to say: "I'm always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning . . . Every day I find something creative to do with my life." Is creativity a motto for you as well?

Mark - Absolutely, it is what keeps me going after this dream; although, life isn't always so poetic. There are those days and then there aren't those days. But yes, starting each day as a new day, where your future begins anew is great - doing so alleviates stress or disappointments from the previous day and invigorates you to try again or start fresh. It's a new opportunity to enjoy life.

Akbar - Contrary to some musicians who only display their technical skills while on stage, you attempt to make your music accessible to the public. Why such an approach?

Mark - I'd like to elaborate and make clear that "accessibility to the public" does not connote a dummying-down of the musicianship (like a lot of musicians make it out to mean) or that the public can't appreciate technical skills. Not by any means does it mean that. The public is a smart lot and great music only comes from high standards in musicianship.

People respond to your intent. If a musician is exuding a cocky "look at me playing all these fast notes all over the place", "I'm so great", braggadocios attitude, that musician will lose fans exponentially. Nobody likes to experience someone patting their selves on the back, showing off and the like. That's not good for anyone. And musically speaking, if a musician only presents technically advanced compositions or playing, it gets tiring on the ears of even trained musicians. It simply becomes exhausting and ultimately not enjoyable.

I find it's important to maintain a balance between tension and release, loud and soft, high and low, fast and slow. Reach people where you can reach them, then show them something different, then find common ground again, then explore something new together… Look, when you're hanging out with friends and having conversation over a glass of wine, you'll talk about everything from the weather to politics to family to religion to dreams to vacations to work and so on and you use familiar words to get your message across. There's your accessibility. Occasionally, you'll utilize a unique phrase or big word like "ubiquitous" and everyone goes, "oooohhh!" You have fun, you inspire, you learn… it's all good. That's what I seemingly do in my music. I start a story, then we elaborate on the theme, we'll employ some complexities and use technical devices, but since we've established common ground, no-one is left out of enjoying the experience.

I just try to play songs. Good songs that present productive platforms upon which to explore jazz music's ideals.

Akbar - You have played with the Marsalis'family (Wynton, Branford and Ellis). Are there any other jazz stars you have been playing with or you would like to play with?

Mark - I've yet to have the honour of playing with Wynton, but playing with Branford has been the most fun and educational thus far. The first time we played together was during a charity event called "Monday after the Masters" hosted by Hootie and the Blowfish. Hootie played the main concert and we sat-in with them making up horn lines on the spot. Then a few weeks later we rejoined Hootie at a big concert in Greenville, SC where we again made up some lines and traded some solos with each other and Mark Bryant (guitarist). So much fun! Man, Branford kills it no matter if he's playing with a southern rock-n-roll band or modern jazz quintet. Most recently, we reconnected back in Greenville during the Southern Exposure Festival where he joined my band for an entire set and we played my originals and a didge jam. Man, he sounded so incredible. He was supportive and encouraging. It was a serious high for us all.

Being a bandleader in NY and having the opportunities to play around town, I've been in the fortunate position to have a lot of NY's elite join me on gigs: Wycliffe Gordon, Walter Blanding, Jr., Marcus Strickland, Seamus Blake, Jochum Ruckert, Rodney Greene, Wayne Batchelor to name a few. Some more frequently than others, some only once, but all of them have been memorable.

Who would I like to play with? I love Brian Blade's sensitivity and musicianship. To record with Branford would be sublime - he sounded beautiful when he played soprano sax on a tune I wrote called, "Thank You." I would love to make some music with Bjork (she's not a jazz star, but…) - she's so creative and I think her music really lends itself to soulful improvisation. Norah Jones, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride… oh man, so many. I would love to work with Dr. Dre or Jay-Z actually. If there was ever a vast opportunity to do some cool music with my trumpet and didge, those guys would hook it up.

Akbar - You are on the verge of completing your debut still untitled CD, that has been produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jason Olaine and sound engineer Robert Dorsey, who has been working with the Fugees and Beyoncé. And you haven't found a label yet willing to sign you? How come?

Mark - We are currently entertaining a few offers and navigating towards the best course of action to give this record a real shot of being seen and heard by many. The music industry is saturated with CD offerings and what is it that will stand you above the rest? Ultimately and most importantly, it will be the music itself, but for an emerging artist, initially, it'll be the effectiveness of the marketing and PR force behind its release. We have to reach a lot of people where we can leave it to the public to decide, but we have to reach everyone first.

As for the team behind this record, you can add the talented Greg Calbi of Sterling Sound as the Mastering Engineer of my record. He's mastered the records of Branford Marsalis, the Ramones, John Scofield, R.E.M., Paul Simon, Lenny Kravitz, Jeff Golub, John Mayer, Mariah Carey, U2, Spyro Gyra and the list goes on and on!

So, we now have a mastered record to shop, PR company(s) lined-up - just need to decide on the best distribution outlet(s) and label partnership.

Akbar - You are gaining recognition on the jazz stage. However, your debut CD is not realised yet. Is it the missing link to get more recognition or do you need to do more live performances to establish yourself?

Mark - It goes hand-in-hand. Having a proper recording to offer is a huge step. Also, by having a highly respectable team behind it (Jason Olaine, Michael Kline, Robert Dorsey, Greg Calbi, Michael Kauffman, etc.), that consideration alone should alleviate any doubts regarding my "out of the blue" arrival and propel us forward with festival and club bookings. Man, these guys are busy and do not waste their time on something or someone they do not believe in - to have them on my side is beyond my dreams and I'm completely honoured and thankful! This year is when my team and I want to prove ourselves through performance opportunities provided by festival and club talent buyers. I think the music will speak for itself.

Akbar - Dear Mark, I thank you very much for your time and wish you the best to come for your career.