Small bringing his passion for music to concert in Salt Lake
January 31st, 2008, 2:16 am Hobbies Ideas
Early on in Mark Small’s musical life, it was a case of Lawrence Welk vs. the Beatles. The Beatles won.
“I had always been interested in music,” he said in a telephone interview from his home in Boston. “When I was very young, Leonard Bernstein was on TV on Friday nights, conducting orchestra concerts. My parents got a huge kick out of how I would stand in front of the TV, waving a stick like I was Bernstein.”
When Small was in the second grade, a traveling accordion salesman came to town. “Since my parents were big Lawrence Welk fans, they invited him in. He gave me the free talent test, and I was flailing away with the accordion, when he turned to my parents and said, ‘The kid’s got talent!’ They believed him, and I spent the next seven or so years playing the accordion.”
Then the Beatles swept in. Small heard what they could do with a guitar, and he fell head-over-heels in love. It was goodbye accordion, hello guitar. “In 1967, 20 million guitars were sold. I am part of that statistic. I bought my first guitar that year. Then I taught myself how to play it.”
That led to a lifelong passion for the instrument that has taken him into the world of folk, pop, jazz and finally classical guitar.
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He will bring that passion and accomplishment to Salt Lake City for a concert sponsored by the Utah Classical Guitar Society on Friday, Feb. 1, at the Salt Lake Recital Hall.
Small performs most often as part of a guitar duo. For this concert, he will be joined by Steve Lin, a doctoral student at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, who also tied for first prize in the prestigious 2006 Boston GuitarFest competition.
The concert will also feature local flutist Jane Wadsworth and vocalist Megan Small, a student at Brigham Young University who is also Mark Small’s daughter. Selections will include numbers from Small’s most recent CD, “Fast Falls The Eventide,” which he recorded with duet partner Peter Clemente on Deseret Book’s JoySpring label, as well as a variety of other offerings, including Renaissance, Baroque, Brazilian, folk and film-score music.
Small will also conduct a master class the following evening
It is a treat to come to Utah and perform, he said. With his previous duet partner Robert Torres, Small has recorded six CDs, many of them featuring interpretations of LDS hymns as well as other folk and classical songs. “We have a good following in Utah. So, it’s nice to be able to come out occasionally and say thanks to all those who have followed my career. Plus,” he added with a laugh, “I’m the bishop of our ward here, and we have a lot of students who relocate to Utah, so it’s a chance to keep in touch with them.”
Small grew up in the Boston area. After high school he attended the Berklee College of Music, but before graduating, he took a leave of absence to check out the life of a professional, on-the-road musician, appearing at jazz and rock clubs throughout the area.
He continued to study: with local jazz guru Mick Goodrick, a lesson from Pat Metheny before he became famous, eventually returning to the New England Conservatory to finish his degree.
In 1982, he and his wife, Mary Ann, left Boston for Los Angeles. “It was daunting to be one among the tens of thousands of musicians trying to get somewhere in the business out there,” he said.
He found work in various clubs. But that was also where his life took a turn he had not foreseen. He and Mary Ann encountered and joined the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By then, he had also been to “too many biker bars” and also wanted a change musically. “I found work with Guitar Player magazine as their Los Angeles correspondent.”
Small completed a master’s degree at California State University, pursuing his interest in classical guitar. After his wife finished chiropractic college, they decided to move back to New England, where he eventually became editor of Berklee Today magazine at the Berklee College of Music. He also teaches privately.
“It’s a dream job,” he said of the magazine, “especially for me. I get to speak to so many musicians who are doing so many different things, everyone from Aerosmith to film composers to engineers. I get to ask them why they do what they do. I get to ask them any questions I want about music. I’m such a huge music fan.”
It all began with that early love of the guitar. “What I love is that it can do so many different things. Its voice is so varied. I still love the acoustic steel-string guitar of Simon %26 Garfunkel and James Taylor. They were early influences. The electric guitar has a very different sound. And now I’ve gravitated to classical guitar.”
The classical guitar, he said, has a quieter voice. “And that is both its weakness and its beauty. It can get lost in a large hall, but it is perfect in an intimate, small setting.”
He absolutely loves the sound of the guitar, he said. “There’s so much substance. So many layers and shades of color, so much you can do just depending on how you place your fingers on the strings or the neck.”
As a writer, he constantly comes in contact with people who have a passion for music. As a musician, he shares that passion. “I just want to take it as far as I can personally. Music has always been a driving force in my life.”
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