I get to play music for a living. I feel pretty lucky to be able to say that! Currently playing bass with FAMOUS, trombone with the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, trombone and tenor sax with the Love Dogs and numerous other freelance gigs. Available for freelance gigs/tours E-mail [email protected]
Now, this is where I get to speak about myself in the third person...
Multi-instrumentalist Mark Paquin has gained an international reputation as a respected performer on trombone, tenor saxophone and electric bass. His busy schedule often sees him playing saxophone with a blues band one night, bass with a rock band the next night and then jetting off for his latest European tour (playing trombone of course!) with yet another group. His musical diversity and ability to step into most any musical situation on multiple instruments with professionalism and poise has made Mark Paquin one of the most in-demand young players in the scene today.
Born and raised in New Hampshire, Paquin began his professional career early on, sitting in at the local jazz clubs by age 16 and playing local clubs with his own bands by age 17. While attending the University of NH to study trombone, he continued to perform regionally. Highlights included shows supporting such national acts as Cypress Hill, Fishbone, the Ramones, De La Soul and Queen Latifah as well as live performances with a multitude of jazz legends such as Clark Terry, Frank Wess, Frank Foster, Ed Shaugnessy, Phil Woods, Al Grey, Joe Williams and many others.
Upon earning his B.M. in Music Education, Paquin proceeded to tour the country with Boston ska legends Bim Skala Bim as their trombonist. His 3 year tenure with the band, which features the trombone prominently, had him crossing the country multiple times, recording the critically acclaimed CD “Universalâ€, appearing in a music video aired on MTV and sharing stages with such diverse acts as Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Burning Spear, Dinosaur Jr., the Toasters and the Bloodhound Gang among others. In 1997, Bim Skala Bim toured arenas and theaters across the country with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones for 8 weeks as the direct support act for the “Boston On the Road Tourâ€. The tour culminated with a sold-out New Years Eve show at the Centrum (capacity 15,000) in Worcester, MA and further cemented Paquin’s reputation as a top-notch performer.
In 2000, Mark joined the internationally renowned New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble as their trombonist, a position he still holds. The NYSJE features some of New York’s best young talent in the jazz, ska and reggae worlds. The group performs regularly all over the world, headlining major jazz, ska/reggae and pop festivals (including Montreal Jazz Festival, Jazz In Marciac (France) and Rock For People (Czech Republic)) and plays to hundreds of thousands of people every year. They have been featured on MTV Europe, Spanish, Italian and French national Radio and TV and both commercial and independent radio worldwide as well as several national television commercials for Campbell’s soup and Subway. They have released multiple CDs internationally and are currently recording their latest, which features Paquin’s trombone, vocal and composition skills.
In addition to his current work with the NY Ska-Jazz Ensemble, Paquin is an in-demand freelance trombonist, bassist, saxophonist, horn arranger and teacher. His trombone can be heard on episodes of many of MTV’s shows past and present including “Real World†and “Road Rules†among others. He also maintains an active recording schedule having appeared on over 40 CDs as well as regional and national TV and radio commercials. Paquin tours nationally with his modern rock band FAMOUS and, when not on tour, maintains a teaching position at Berwick Academy in South Berwick, ME along with private students at his home studio in Derry, NH.
Mark Paquin is an official Conn-Selmer Artist and uses King Trombones exclusively.
NEW YORK SKA-JAZZ ENSEMBLE "LIVE IN PARIS" AVAILABLE ON ITUNES!!!
NYSJE "LIVE IN PARIS" ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM
THE ENTIRE NYSJE CATALOG ON ITUNES
