Mark Godfrey is one of the most in-demand bass players on the Toronto jazz and creative music scene. Known for his strong sound and rhythmic presence on the instrument, Mark’s accolades include the 2019 Emerging Jazz Artist of the Year Award (Toronto Jazz Festival), the 2021 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album (Sammy Jackson/With You), and the 2014 Grand Prix de Jazz (Pram Trio/Montreal Jazz Festival). As a composer, Mark’s music is “sophisticated, yet accessible” (Ted Parkinson, WholeNote Magazine) and his most recent album has been described as “a highly persuasive mix of forward-thinking original music” (Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen).
To date, Mark has released two albums under his own name: Prologue (2018) and Square Peg (2020). Featuring a quartet and quintet respectively, the albums showcase Mark on bass and compositions, Allison Au and Matt Woroshyl on saxophones, Chris Pruden on piano, and Nick Fraser on drums. Having recently completed a Canada-wide tour at the end of last year, Mark will be releasing his second quintet album in early 2025.
As a supporting musician, Mark can regularly be found performing alongside fellow Toronto artists Barbra Lica, Sammy Jackson, Matt Dusk, and Teri Parker. Versatility on both electric and double bass has given Mark the opportunity to record and perform with a variety of other Canadian jazz artists over the last decade including Curtis Nowosad, Luis Deniz, Kellylee Evans, Joanna Majoko, Jesse Ryan, Jake Koffman, and the Toronto Jazz Orchestra among others. As a jazz educator, Mark is the double bass instructor at Mayfield Secondary School for the Arts in Brampton and also teaches privately out of his home studio in Toronto.
Photo credit Curtis Perry
