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Mark Lotz
Mark Lotz – Flutist, Improviser, Composer
Mark Lotz is more than just a leading voice in the European jazz scene. He stands at the intersection of jazz, classical, and world music – and enjoys every second of it! (Tomas Peña, Jazz.com & Latin Jazz Network)
Raised in Thailand, Uganda, and Germany, Lotz’s musical journey has always been global. His collaborations extend far beyond jazz, encompassing world music, theater, performance and visual arts, film, dance, and live visuals. As an improviser and composer, he continuously pushes the expressive possibilities of his instrument, blending the aesthetics and techniques of contemporary and classical music with the energy of jazz.
He has received international acclaim for his interpretations of Afro-Cuban religious folklore, West African Fula music, Turkish free improvisation, and his solo recitals. Alongside his international performances, he is an active festival founder, curator, and educator, giving masterclasses worldwide and combining artistic practice with social engagement.
In 2025, he launched his own record label, Sonic Squid Music, dedicated to his own releases and artistic vision.
Milestones & Facts
Early Years & Education
Born into a musical family as the son of jazz researcher Dr. Rainer Lotz, Mark started playing the flute at the age of 17. He studied jazz and classical music at the School of Arts Amsterdam and took private lessons in the U.S. From 2008 to 2010, he studied Indian bansuri flute at Codarts.Collaborations with Artists Worldwide
His projects have brought him together with exceptional artists, from Don Byron, Chris Potter, and Han Bennink to members of the Conjunto Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. His discography includes 20 albums released on labels in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, France, Switzerland, Poland, and the U.S.International Presence
Lotz has performed at festivals in over 20 countries, including Canada, the U.S., Cuba, Senegal, China, Japan, India, Poland, France, and Turkey.Curator & Educator
As the founder of the Jazz On The Sofa and VOLfest festivals, he fosters connections between diverse musical and cultural scenes. He teaches flute at the HKU and Codarts conservatories and gives masterclasses worldwide.Recognition & Awards
Winner of the Karlovy Vary and Middlesea jazz competitions. His music has frequently topped international charts, been featured on compilation albums, and received Best of and Editor’s Pick accolades in leading music publications.
Gear
Piccollo (Yamaha), C- (Muramatsu), Alto- (Muramatsu), Bass- (Kotato & Fukushima), Pvc Contra Bass flutes (Hogenhuis), Bansuris (Harsh Wardhan), wooden & silver head-joints by Christoph Mancke
Tags
Mark Lotz: Freshta
by Alberto Bazzurro
Il sessantenne poliflautista e compositore tedesco Mark Lotz dedica questo suo nuovo lavoro all'attivista per i diritti delle donne Freshta Kohistani, uccisa a ventinove anni da un commando armato nella provincia di Kapsia in Afghanistan, dove viveva, poco più di tre anni or sono, nel dicembre 2020 (del resto ognuno degli undici brani presenti nel cd ha una sua dedica). Già da questa prima annotazione si comprenderà come l'aspetto architettonico-compositivo debba avere una rilevanza particolare nell'opera, ciò che un sestetto ...
Continue ReadingMark Lotz: Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out!
by Mike Jurkovic
There's a curious sense of humor rampant throughout flautist Mark Lotz's 2023 trio outing Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out!. And why shouldn't there be? Given the nature of Lotz's inspiration--acid folk-hero Timothy Leary's era defining treatise by the same title--the music should be that and a whole lot more. And it is! Lotz, a three decade veteran of the hotbed Dutch jazz scene who has recorded/gigged with Chris Potter, Don Byron and a host of ...
Continue ReadingMark Alban Lotz: The Wroclaw Sessions
by Don Phipps
Mark Alban Lotz has infused his album The Wroclaw Sessions with a collection of standards, classics and four originals (three of which he co-wrote) that explore a wide range of musical styles. Aided by bassist Grzegorz Piasecki and drummer Wojciech Buliński, Lotz easily makes transitions over a diverse musical terrain, which includes numbers such as Sam Rivers' “Euterpe" and Victor Young's “Song for Delilah" (from the soundtrack for the 1949 movie Samson and Delilah). Lotz's gift lies in ...
Continue ReadingMark Alban Lotz: The Wroclaw Sessions
by Mark Corroto
Mark Alban Lotz is bringing sexy back into jazz with his trio recording The Wroclaw Sessions. The German born / Dutch resident draws from not only jazz but folk and classical influences for these nine tracks, four of which are originals. It's sexy because the music conveys a certain charisma or musical pheromone fashioned to affect behavior as it is released into the aural airwaves. Opening with Sam Rivers “Euterpe" from the 1967 recording Contours (Blue Note), Lotz ...
Continue ReadingLotz Of Music: Live At JazzCase
by Troy Dostert
With an upbringing that involved living in Thailand, Germany and Uganda, it was perhaps inevitable that flautist Mark Alban Lotz would take a global approach to his craft as a musician. His substantial recorded output (over a dozen releases to his name, to date) bears ample witness to his restless quest for new forms of expression, while always remaining at least tangentially rooted in the jazz tradition. On his latest release, a live recording from JazzCase in Dommelhof, Belgium, Lotz ...
Continue ReadingMark Lotz and Alan Purves: Food Foragers
by Don Phipps
Somewhere there is a dense green forest. One can barely see through the foliage. Inside this forest is a meadow. There stands Mark Alban Lotz, surrounded by flutes of various sizes and shapes. Next to him is Alan Purves, encircled by an array of bizarre and ancient percussion instruments. Together, these two artists are creating odes to forests, jungles, and deserts, the subconscious mind, peaceful meditations, and odd and humorous tales--music that hearkens back to ancient rituals, dreams, and time ...
Continue ReadingMark Alban Lotz: Solo Flutes
by Eyal Hareuveni
The eclectic, even eccentric musical tastes of German, Netherlands- based flute master Mark Alban Lotz may be attributed to his personal history. He grew up in Thailand, Germany, and Uganda, while studying jazz, contemporary music, and Indian bansuri flute playing in Amsterdam, New York, and jny: Los Angeles. This globe-trotting biography is reflected in his flute solo performances of contemporary composed music and associative improvisations, all recorded in one go with no overdubs or sound processing. ...
Continue ReadingMark Alban Lotz & Meinrad Kneer CD Release "U-Ex(perimental)"
Source:
Mark Alban Lotz
Holland based multi flutist Mark Alban Lotz and German bassist Meinrad Kneer released a new CD with 26 tracks of extreme textures and atmospheres with both established, as well as emerging new talents of the Dutch improvised scene. An example of the present-day developments and diversity of free music in Holland. u-ex(perimental) is an improvised music concert series, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. a platform for spontaneous encounters of improvising musicians in concert. Evil Rabbit Records ERR17. Musicians include: Mark ...
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All About Jazz (USA)
“Mark Alban Lotz is bringing sexy back into jazz.”
JazzAndMo (Belgium)
” … almost monomaniacally driven musician.”
WRUV (USA)
“Mark Alban Lotz – a German-Dutch genius and flute master.”
Primary Instrument
Flute
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Credentials/Background
Holding a flute chair at the faculties of the Utrecht Conservatory (HKU) and Rotterdam conservatory (Codarts), The Netherlands
Clinic/Workshop Information
Mark has hold masterclasses at conservatories, festivals and universities in Holland, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Finland, Poland, Italy, Japan, Cuba and Taiwan.
Photos
Music
Isabel
From: FreshtaBy Mark Lotz
Videos
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Mark Lotz
Instrument: Flute
Born: June 12, 1963
