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Mark Bailey’s arrangements are fun to play, moving to hear, and rewarding to conduct. His ear for tonal colour combinations and his savvy sense of style are a great formula that provides audiences, chamber players, and ensembles a wealth of fresh new takes on well-known classical favourites.

I have the greatest respect for Mark Bailey’s skills as a composer and arranger. His work is always eminently musical and sensitive to the strengths and limitations of the individual instrumentalists. Mark is equally at home writing in the jazz and classical idioms, as well as for any ensemble from small string, wind or brass groups to concert band or symphony orchestra.

The Ottawa Wind Ensemble has been fortunate to feature Mark Bailey’s music in our concerts. Mark is a great writer, immensely appreciated by our audience.

Mark writes in a different style rythmically and melodically, and as a brass player wrote exciting parts for all brass – parts that certainly challenged the players. Mark’s works are a delight to play, as many lines are soloistic and musically demanding, not just technically, but so often in terms of stylistic requirements and subtlety.

As a vocalist and producer I have the very good fortune of relying on Mark Bailey’s exceptional trumpet skills in the Mark Ferguson Orchestra, the big band with which I tour internationally. Some years ago, during a guest appearance with the Canadian Forces Band in concert, I had the pleasure of Mark creating a 45-piece arrangement for me. As usual, it was a terrific experience working with him and the piece provided an outstanding finale for a delighted audience. Mark is a multi-faceted talent and a joy to work with.

In the time I’ve known Mark, he has always urged me to dig deeper. A formidable trumpeter, his musical scope is even more evident as a composer/arranger, and his brilliant wit flavors all the projects he releases. I have had the pleasure of working with Mark on many occasions, to my great delight, and hope for many more. I have performed his works over many years and have always been well rewarded by the appreciativeness of the audiences. He is very adept at tailoring his musical goals to unusual instrumentations or abilities.

Mark has captured the essence of these timeless Christmas melodies in his arrangements. The part writing is exquisite – choral-like in approach. Players of any level will enjoy playing them and audience members will be pleased to hear them.

I have known Mark for the past seven years – as a musician; as a choral, vocal and instrumental arranger; as a director; and as a friend. After playing his arrangements in an orchestral setting, I have come to respect his ability and skill in that capacity. I have used his arrangements for beginning, intermediate and advanced students and have discovered that these arrangements can be utilized by many levels of musicianship. They can be used for large groups over 35, for small ensembles of 15 or fewer, or for trios and quartets.

Mark Bailey has a knack for finding that balance between keeping music interesting for high school players, and making it playable as well. His arrangements are well-received by my students, and I’m pleased to be able to use Mark’s compositions and arrangements as part of my band program.