An excellent bop-based guitarist, Mark Elf has created a stir with his own small-group recordings. He attended Berklee (1969-1971), picked up experience playing with a who's who of modern mainstream jazz (including Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Benny Golson, Al Grey, Branford Marsalis, and Slide Hampton), and has recorded as a sideman with Lou Donaldson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, and others. Elf spent time with Jimmy Heath's group, but has achieved his greatest recognition thus far with his recordings for the Jen Bay Jazz label and a set recorded in Chile (Alerce) made available in the U.S. His album roster supported by Jen Bay includes: Eternal Triangle (1988), Trickynometry (1997), and Over the Airwaves (2000). Swingin' followed in early 2001. ~ Scott Yanow