Mark Shapiro
Mark has been studying jazz—its recordings, discographies, biographies, history, and musical theory—since the spring of 1967. He started taking saxophone lessons and continued lessons on both alto and tenor saxophone for several years, including saxophone lessons with the renowned studio musician Bill Greene and jazz improvisation lessons with the famous jazz vibist Charlie Shoemake.
Mark studied music theory and basic musicianship at Los Angeles Valley College and he played in the Los Angeles City College Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Don Simpson, former bassist for the Ray Anthony Orchestra. In the last six years he has produced and hosted radio shows on the history of jazz, first at KVCM Van Nuys, heard on Adelphia Cable, then at KWRF Santa Monica, heard on the campus of Santa Monica College. [Note: KWRF Santa Monica is not affiliated with KWRF in Warren, Arkansas.] He was both the Program Director and Music Director for KWRF Santa Monica for three years. He has volunteered as an engineer and announcer for the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service, a non-profit service that reads newspapers and magazines for blind listeners on a sub-frequency of radio KCSN Northridge, California.