I am a recording artist
I started producing my own recording projects in 1999, creating albums that feature the trombone in original works, arrangements and transcriptions of classical repertoire. My latest projects tend to focus on contemporary compositions, commissions by living composers and explorations into music technology. I have released 15 recordings, which are available on i-Tunes, Amazon.com and Summit Records. Click on the hyperlinks below to learn about each recording and listen to sound files.
Reviews-
"From the first few moments They Said... sounds like an ECM recording made by a Scandinavian jazz outfit, immersed in bleak landscapes and expansive vistas, where wind and occasional sunlight offer weak glimpses of hope. It's like listening to a vintage Jan Garbarek or Terje Rypdal recording. They Said... is ponderous and inspiring, painting a canvas with ultra-modern exploratory colors that will transport... About halfway through the ten-minute opening track "There's Something About David H.," Sinister Resonance reveal their awesome power. If you were curious what King Crimson might sound like if they had a trombonist, this track could be your answer."
-LOCAL SOUNDS MAGAZINE (RICK TVEDT), REVIEWING THEY SAID..., DCD 651
"Mind boggling is how well he plays the trombone in my opinion. There's an ease to his technique that bends the instrument to his will. He can shape, flex, caress, torture, stress, accent and animate notes on the fly and bring anything he plays to life. All the pieces on this new CD were well chosen to showcase his command of the instrument, and the range of styles he easily slips into is impressive."
-CLASSICAL MUSIC SENTINeL (JEAN-YVES DUPERRON), REVIEWING BLUES, BALLADS AND BEYOND, DCD 686
“It may be the most outrageous version of this popular quartet yet, and the sheer audacity of the enterprise makes it well worth a listen... Mark Hetzler demonstrates that this work is remarkably well suited to brass voices... The funeral march at 1:50 of the fourth movement is beautifully played in the high register, acquiring through the trombone’s clarion tones an almost religious poignancy... The entire performance sounds absolutely effortless...”
-DSCH Journal, reviewing 20th Century Architects, Summit DCD 394
“Samuel Barber’s Cello Sonata (1932) is the musical masterpiece, and Hetzler and pianist Lisa Leonard give it a superb reading. The work transfers very well from cello to trombone, though most players would find its extremes of register quite daunting... I am glad to make the acquaintance of both this work and this reading, one of the most arresting trombone performances I have heard.”
-THE AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, REVIEWING AMERICAN VOICES, SUMMIT DCD 331
"With potent tone, strong low and high registers, virtuoso skills and a showman's sense of drama, Hetzler made those transcriptions sound like trombone pieces... Hehandles the huge register leaps and quiet high notes with aplomb... Mark Hetzler isone of the world's great trombone players..."
-American Record Guide, reviewing American Voices II, DCD 531
"Hetzler has a rich, full, powerful tone, clean tonguing, oil-smooth legato, excellent intonation, a nimble slide hand, and complete rapport with the stylistic demands of each piece and his well-balanced pianistic partner. The sound quality is very good, up close but not overbearing."
-Fanfare, reviewing American Voices II, DCD 531
“A large variety of composers are represented... and each selection carries the emotion of sadness. How Hetzler is able to convey that emotion through different styles is quite remarkable... Monk’s New York Requiem is absolutely fascinating.”