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Mark Sullivan

Freelance journalist & musician. I love improvisation & live electronics, in jazz and experimental music of all sorts.

About Me

I am a freelance writer and musician with a special interest in bebop-based jazz and experimental music. I also blog about “mature readers” comic books, especially those published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint. I studied composition at the University of Michigan, as well as privately with George Cacioppo (a member of the ONCE group). My writing history includes book reviews for Library Journal and Salem Press, and I was a regular contributor of recording reviews to Option Magazine for over ten years. In 2016 I joined the staff of Minor 7th webzine (Reviewing the best in non-mainstream acoustic guitar music).

My main instrument is guitar, but I double on bass and drums. I'm based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

My Jazz Story

I was first exposed to jazz in college when I met a fellow student who was interested in it. I was a singer/songwriter and rock guitarist interested in expanding my musical horizons. He recommended Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk. Not a bad place to start, and still some of my favorites. Being a guitarist, I discovered Wes Montgomery on my own.

My Favorite Local Jazz Venues & Festivals

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