Several times a year, to recharge, as he puts it, Mark does the big commute to San Francisco for gigs with his band Sunset Red. Then he heard legendary LP artist Armando Peraza . Armando 'bent' time in a way that connected to the jazz I heard growing up, to the funk and rock I was listening to. His sound was the benchmark - a slap like breaking glass and warm tones, too. Currently his set-up centers on three LP Patato Congas.
Synthetic heads are a boon in Maui.
To showcase his work as a sideman, Mark has released a limited edition CD, Mark D'Antonio-For Example. When he rubs shoulders with the greats, he gets to pick up a few pointers. George smiles at me and says, 'Man, you gotta make more faces. You can bet that my face was twisting and contorting at that gig.