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Mark Winkler (2010)
Visit Website	It may have been inevitable that Los Angeles-born and -raised Mark Winkler would become a singer-songwriter. Like one of his aunts, his mother had been a big-band singer (she'd been known as "The Star Dust Lady", and had been an entertainer on cruises to Panama). He says "We were singing standards from the Great American Songbook", and recalls her giving him singing lessons while cooking meals later at night (it was late because she'd been out working). His two brothers didn't catch the bug, but Mark was writing stories at age seven, and wanted to be a singer from age nine. Mark's songs have been recorded by Randy Crawford, Dianne Reeves and Liza Minelli, among others. He also co-wrote the hit "Naked Boys Singings", still running Off-Broadway after a decade. (He says "People went for the gratuitous nudity and they left humming the songs." One of one of his own musicals, "Bark" is all about dogs: he adds "They're naked, too!") The good reception of his 2003 recording of songs all written by one of his idols, Bobby Troup, was trumped by that for 2009's "Till I Get It Right", which appeared on not a few "best-of" lists, including those of Don Albert at "Down Beat" and Christopher Loudon at "Jazz Times". Perhaps the best review is that by Jonathan Widran at "All Music Guide", which begins "Get it right? How about darn near as perfect as a spirited set of (mostly) original contemporary jazz vocals can be?" Let's leave the last word to Mark himself. "Basically, I'm a simple guy: I like dogs, film noir, and writing songs."

Mark Winkler (2010)

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It may have been inevitable that Los Angeles-born and -raised Mark Winkler would become a singer-songwriter. Like one of his aunts, his mother had been a big-band singer (she'd been known as "The Star Dust Lady", and had been an entertainer on cruises to Panama). He says "We were singing standards from the Great American Songbook", and recalls her giving him singing lessons while cooking meals later at night (it was late because she'd been out working). His two brothers didn't catch the bug, but Mark was writing stories at age seven, and wanted to be a singer from age nine.

Mark's songs have been recorded by Randy Crawford, Dianne Reeves and Liza Minelli, among others. He also co-wrote the hit "Naked Boys Singings", still running Off-Broadway after a decade. (He says "People went for the gratuitous nudity and they left humming the songs." One of one of his own musicals, "Bark" is all about dogs: he adds "They're naked, too!")

The good reception of his 2003 recording of songs all written by one of his idols, Bobby Troup, was trumped by that for 2009's "Till I Get It Right", which appeared on not a few "best-of" lists, including those of Don Albert at "Down Beat" and Christopher Loudon at "Jazz Times". Perhaps the best review is that by Jonathan Widran at "All Music Guide", which begins "Get it right? How about darn near as perfect as a spirited set of (mostly) original contemporary jazz vocals can be?"

Let's leave the last word to Mark himself. "Basically, I'm a simple guy: I like dogs, film noir, and writing songs."

Pick	Artist	Album	Song	Label
# 1	Mark Murphy	Stolen Moments	Stolen Moments	Muse
# 2	Lorraine Feather	New York City Drag	You're Outa Here	Rhombus
# 3	Bobby Troup	Bobby Troup	Lemon Twist	Capitol
# 4	Shirley Horn	Here's to Life	Here's to Life	Telarc
# 5	Julie London	Julie Is My Name	Cry Me a River	MFP
# 6	The Manhattan Transfer	Bop Doo-Wopp	Route 66	Atlantic
# 7	Al Jarreau	Look to the Rainbow	Take Five	Warner Bros
# 8	Claire Martin	Make This City Ours	Bye Bye, Country Boy	Honest
# 9	Chet Baker	My Funny Valentine	Let's Get Lost	Pacific Jazz

Book	F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Tender Is the Night", or Robert Goolrick, "A Reliable Wife"

Luxury Item	1962 Studebaker Avanti, designed by Raymond Loewy

Castaways by dateNo castaways found for 2023.