Album Notes

"Stands out among what appears to be a diminishing fraternity: male jazz singers" - (L.A.Times)

Winkler sings originals and jazz standards, featuring Billy Childs, Anthony Wilson and Bobby Shew.

Mark Winkler is an L.A. based singer-songwriter who has just released his latest Chartmaker Jazz release "Easy The Hard Way".

It features Mark singing originals and Jazz standards backed by an all-star crew featuring Billy Childs, Anthony Wilson, Bobby Shew and Claire Martin.

It has spent over two months on the Gavin Jazz Chart where it reached the top 20 and was played on over 60 stations across the U.S.

Mark sorta sounds like "Mark Murphy by way of Mose Allison or Dave Frishberg" - (Jazz Times)

Winkler has written over 350 songs, many of them recorded by the likes of Liza Minelli, Kenny Rankin, Dianne Reeves and Randy Crawford (her 1989 hit "Can't Stand The Pain".)

His sensitivity as a performer and his insights as a lyricist are brought to bear in his new CD. "Easy The Hard Way" is a tune Mark wrote after reading the obituary of 60s TV icon, Vince Edwards.

"It was gonna be the title of his uncompleted autobiography" and I thought it would be fun to write it like it was the end song of an imaginary TV movie they made from Vince's book!" Mark says.

Mark also performs a playful duet of "Baby It's Cold Outside" with #1 British jazz star Claire Martin.

"Funny thing is that we recorded it on the coldest day in October in London-- so we didn't need much inspiration to sing the tune. We basically did it in one take-- facing each other".

The producer of the CD, Barbara Brighton brought in Wayne Shorter's piece "Edda", suggesting to Mark that he should write lyrics to it in tribute to their mutual friend, Jazz activist, Ellen Cohn.Mark did and renamed the touching tune, "Ellen's Song".

One of Mark's favorite songs on the CD is "Like Young" the old Andre Previn tune that was used as the theme song for Playboy After Dark".

"It's just me and Anthony Wilson on guitar facing each other-- it was all very organic and real, no overdubbing here."

"Easy The Hard Way" is an album chock full of a lifetime of emotions from sexy to sad to funny- Winkler's lyrics paint a picture and tell a story just waiting to be told.