Markus Schwartz

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Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and raised in a house full of jazz music in the United States, Markus Schwartz has spent the past 17 years deeply immersed in the world of traditional Haitian drum music.
Beginning his studies of African/Caribbean hand-drum technique while attending U-Mass/Amherst, after graduating Markus moved to the S.F. Bay area, where he quickly apprenticed himself to an Afro-Haitian dance ensemble, began performing and working as a much in-demand accompanist for dancers. During this period Markus first visited Haiti, beginning his ongoing involvement with traditional Haitian Vodou drum music and culture. In 1992, at the invitation of master percussionist and bandleader Jean Raymond Giglio, one of the pioneers of the Haitian Rasin (roots) musical movement and a founding member of the seminal Vodou Jazz group Foula, Markus embarked upon his first trip to Haiti.
FOULA - VODOU JAZZ FROM HAITI:
Spending a month travelling the countryside, he was immersed in the beauty and richness of traditional Haitian Vodou music. Markus has since made numerous such journeys to Haiti, most recently with the groundbreaking Haitian jazz ensemble MOZAYIK in November, 2006 and March, 2007. Joined by special guest master drummers AZOR & Daniel Brevil, Markus and MOZAYIK dazzled the crowd of 1,500. Mozayik's debut Haiti performance was broadcast on national television and covered by "Le Nouvelliste" (Haiti's largest newspaper).
In 1994, Markus recorded and self-produced a solo CD of Haitian drum and vocal music entitled "Simido", which has received airplay on many Haitian and world music radio stations from the New York City area, to Florida, Haiti and beyond. The track "Kouzen Zaka" (available on this page), is from the "Simido" recording. Following the path of his deepening connection to the Haitian music community, Markus relocated to Brooklyn, New York in 1996. Since his arrival, he has gone on to perform and/or record with many of Haiti's top musicians and groups such as; Aboudja, Buyu Ambroise & Blues in Red, Azor, Frisner Augustin, Dadi Beaubrun, Jean Caze, Manno Charlemagne, Bonga Jean-Baptiste, Carole Demesmin, Eddy Francois, Franck Ettienne, Foula, James Germaine, Jephté Guillaume, Wyclef Jean, Emeline Michel, Reginal Policard, Beethova Obas, Jowee Omicil, Tchovi Ginen, Joel & Mushi Widmaier and Sanba Zao, as well as performing on the NY scene with a diverse array of other artists spanning many genres; Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Sweetcane, David Pilgrim and Charanga Soleil among many others. Markus has also worked as an accompanist with such renowned Haitian dancers as Jean-Leon Destiné, Nadia Dieudonné, Mona Estimé-Amira, Julio Jean, Peniel Guerrier, Patrick LaCroix and Lionel St. Surin.
Markus has traveled the world with his Haitian drums, performing at festivals and concerts across the U.S., throughout the Caribbean islands (Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadalupe), Canada, Mexico, Europe and Japan. In the NYC area, he has appeared at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Central Park Summer Stage, The American Museum of Natural History, Irving Plaza, Joe's Pub, Jazz at Lincoln Center (Damrosch Park & Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola), New York University, SOBs, the Caribbean Cultural Center, Alvin Ailey Dance School, the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, BAM Cafe, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Smoke and Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar.
As an educator, Markus has taught group and individual drumming classes in the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Cruz, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Rancho La Puerta, Mexico, Hartford, CT, Vermont and New York City and has participated in lecture-demonstrations on traditional Haitian drum music at San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, Laney College, Mills College, St. Mary's College and the Caribbean Cultural Center, among many other locations.
Selected Discography
Markus Cotton Schwartz, “Simido”
Jepthe Guillaume & Jean-Claude Lamarre, “Rhythm of the Rain”
Jephte Guillaume, “L’Ame Eternelle”
Sting feat. Stevie Wonder (Hex Hector remix), “Brand New Day”
Mozayik, “Mozayik”
Mozayik, “Rhythmic Reflections/Haitian Creole Jazz”
Wyclef Jean, “Welcome to Haiti-Creole 101”
Atis Pou Ayiti/Eddy Francois, “Lese Koule”
Emeline Michel, “Rasin Kreyol”
Daniel Brevil, “Traditional Haitian Drum Rhythms”
Lataye, “Tou Manbre”
Erol Josue, "Regleman"
Emeline Michel, "La Reine du Coeur"
Markus is currently at work on a collaborative solo recording project scheduled for release in 2008.