A native of Southern California, Mark was born in Santa Ana and grew up in Huntington Beach, located in Orange County. He was raised in a musical family. His father, Woody, was a professional saxophonist and his mother played the vibes and was always singing around the house. Music was constantly in the air, and Mark was reared on the sounds of everyone from Stan Getz to the Beatles.

Mark’s first instrument was the clarinet, starting on the alto sax later at about age 12. His high school jazz ensemble did well at the competitions, placing first at the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival. At Reno, Mark’s soloing was given a high ranking by Dr. Herb Wong. During this time, he studied privately with Don Hawkins, a well-known local teacher whose former students also included Eric Marienthal, Brandon Fields, and Doug Webb, among others.

After high school, Mark decided to remain in Orange County and attended Golden West and Orange Coast Colleges, gaining experience in their music departments. While at Golden West, Mark received private instruction from renowned saxophonist Tom Kubis.

Ultimately, Mark headed east to Boston, Mass. and enrolled at the famed Berklee College of Music. He recalls: “It was a really productive time for me. I was totally surrounded by music 24 hours a day — a wonderful environment to be in. I look back on my days at Berklee with fond memories. I was going to school during the day, and jamming at night with fellow students Hendrik Meurkens, Joe Cohn, Tim Horner… people like that.”

Also during this time, Mark met and studied with the great Phil Woods, an experience that continues to provide inspiration even today. “Yeah, he was great with me,” Mark says, “he really made me want to work at becoming a better saxophone player.”

Upon returning to California, Mark started getting his first gigs and professional experience with players such as Marshall Otwell (pianist with Carmen McRae), Bob Messenger (formerly with The Carpenters), and drummers Kevin Tullius and Paul Kreibich. Mark has also shared the stage with Frank Collett, George Gaffney, Bob Maize, Mark Levine, Charlie Shoemake, Bruce Forman, Luther Hughes, and Ron Eschete, to name a few.

Mark teamed up with guitarist and co-producer Peter Sprague to release his first recording as a leader, Jazz Influence, on SBE Records in 2001, along with pianist Mike Wofford, bassist Bob Magnusson, and drummer John Guerin.

Mark is particularly immersed in Brazilian jazz and has recorded two albums in Brazil: Samba Copacabana (2005) and Encontro (2015). His latest release, recorded in L.A., is An Affair to Remember (2025) on Primrose Lane Records.