Vaughn Nark
Encyclopedia
Vaughn Nark is a critically acclaimed trumpet
er, flugelhorn
ist, trombone
ist and exclusive Yamaha
clinician from Washington, DC. With a career that includes nearly two decades as a member of the United States Air Force
's Airmen of Note
, Nark has performed with many of the worlds finest artists and entertainers, including Dizzy Gillespie
, Doc Severinsen
, Tony Bennett
, Louis Bellson, Henry Mancini
, Arturo Sandoval
, Stanley Turrentine
, Slide Hampton
, Lena Horne
and Wynton Marsalis
. He plays the Yamaha YTR-6335S trumpet.
, Pennsylvania
, Nark began playing the trumpet at the age of six. His father Leon, also a trumpeter, was his first teacher. At seven, he was exposed to Dizzy Gillespie
, Miles Davis
, Maynard Ferguson
, and Doc Severinsen
. Soon after graduating from high school, Nark auditioned and was accepted by the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., where he became a member of its premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note
. He occupied the lead and jazz trumpet chair for nearly 20 years, until his retirement in 1993. By Presidential Order, he was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal for his "distinctive accomplishments and contributions" while a member of this universally respected ensemble.
Since retiring from the Airmen of Note, Nark leads a quintet in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and travels extensively throughout the country and abroad, performing as guest artist at various club and jazz festival venues. His group has been called "consistently brilliant". He is an instructor for a summer jazz camp offered by the Landon School
in Bethesda
, Maryland
. In addition, he gives private lessons and is a Yamaha Clinician.
Nark has also performed as lead
trumpet for the inaugural session of the Smithsonian Institution
's Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, conducted by Gunther Schuller
and David Baker. More recently, he performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta
, Georgia
.
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er, flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
ist, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
ist and exclusive Yamaha
Yamaha (manufacturer)
is a multinational corporation and conglomerate based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, electronics, motorcycles and power sports equipment.-History:...
clinician from Washington, DC. With a career that includes nearly two decades as a member of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's Airmen of Note
The Airmen of Note
The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Originally created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, the “Note” is one of the few touring big bands, and has attracted 18 professional jazz musicians from across the...
, Nark has performed with many of the worlds finest artists and entertainers, including Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Doc Severinsen
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.-Early life:...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, Louis Bellson, Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval
Arturo Sandoval is a jazz trumpeter and pianist. He was born in Artemisa, in the newest renamed Artemisa Province, Cuba....
, Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
, Slide Hampton
Slide Hampton
Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...
, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
and Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
. He plays the Yamaha YTR-6335S trumpet.
Biography
Originally from Mt. CarmelMount Carmel, Pennsylvania
Mount Carmel is the name of a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6390 at the 2000 census. It is located 88 miles northwest of Philadelphia and 71 miles northeast of Harrisburg, in the Anthracite Coal Region...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Nark began playing the trumpet at the age of six. His father Leon, also a trumpeter, was his first teacher. At seven, he was exposed to Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
, and Doc Severinsen
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen is an American pop and jazz trumpeter. He is best known for leading the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.-Early life:...
. Soon after graduating from high school, Nark auditioned and was accepted by the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., where he became a member of its premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note
The Airmen of Note
The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Originally created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, the “Note” is one of the few touring big bands, and has attracted 18 professional jazz musicians from across the...
. He occupied the lead and jazz trumpet chair for nearly 20 years, until his retirement in 1993. By Presidential Order, he was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal for his "distinctive accomplishments and contributions" while a member of this universally respected ensemble.
Since retiring from the Airmen of Note, Nark leads a quintet in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and travels extensively throughout the country and abroad, performing as guest artist at various club and jazz festival venues. His group has been called "consistently brilliant". He is an instructor for a summer jazz camp offered by the Landon School
Landon School
The Landon School is a private, nonsectarian, college preparatory school for boys in grades 3-12, with an enrollment of approximately 675 students. The school sits on in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.-Background:...
in Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. In addition, he gives private lessons and is a Yamaha Clinician.
Nark has also performed as lead
Lead instrument
Lead instrument is the name given to someone who is the most advanced player of their instrument in their ensemble. This is also referred to as the first chair, principal, first position, or first ....
trumpet for the inaugural session of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, conducted by Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
and David Baker. More recently, he performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Panorama
Tracks:- The Work Song (Adderley)
- Lullaby of Broadway (Warren)
- Crush on You (Gershwin)
- Birk's Works (Gillespie)
- All Blues (Davis)
- Cavatina (Myers)
- Over the Rainbow (Arlen)
- Europa (Santana)
- Trinidad Goodbye (Barron)
- America (Ward)
Flying High
Tracks:- Lorraine (Gillespie/Crotty)
- Tidal Breeze (Danko/Crotty)
- Brigitte (Hubbard/Cray)
- Red Clay (Hubbard & Murphy/Crotty)
- White Christmas (Berlin/Crotty)
- Con Alma (Gillespie/Crotty)
- Night Clouds (Crotty)
- Centri-Fusion (Crotty)
- It Could Happen To You (Van Heusen/Crotty)
- Cherokee (Noble/Taylor)
- My Funny Valentine (Rodgers & Hart/Williams)
Somethin' Special
Tracks:- Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Romberg)
- Fiesta Mojo (Gillespie)
- My Funny Valentine (Rodgers/Hart)
- Tanga (Gillespie)
- Billie's BounceBillie's Bounce"Billie's Bounce" also known as "Bill's Bounce", is a jazz composition written in 1945 by Charlie Parker in the form of an 12 bar F blues. It was dedicated to Billy Shaw by the Yardbird. The original recording by Charlie Parker and His Re-Boppers was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.....
(Parker) - Quotes & Notes (Nark)
- Impressions (Coltrane)
- She Was Too Good To Me (Rodgers/Hart)
- Courtship (Carter)
- Povo (Hubbard)