Greg Morton and Mark Robertson-Tessi
Greg Morton and Mark Robertson-Tessi
Genres: mandolin, bluegrass
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About Greg Morton and Mark Robertson-Tessi
Greg Morton Greg was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He began to play the guitar when he was 12. His twin brother, Randal Morton, began to play the banjo at about the same time, and the two were often headliners at various bluegrass festivals around the country. Greg's natural musical ability allowed him to quickly develop a mastery of the guitar, and helped him win several guitar and mandolin championships. As he sharpened his skills playing traditional bluegrass music, he began to apply his talents to other musical styles, including country and Jazz. He caught the attention of Nashville-based musicians and began touring with Mark O'Connor, the White family, and also toured around the world as a featured member of the USO, and lead guitarist for Don Ho's band in Honolulu, Hawaii. Eventually, his travels brought him to Tucson, Arizona. Far from the hills of Tennessee, Greg found that the "high lonesome" sounds of bluegrass music were already reverberating through the canyons of the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona. In 1995, Greg Morton won the Arizona State Guitar Championship, and in 2001, 2002, and 2004, he was the recipient of the prestigious TAMMIES Award (Tucson Area Music Awards) for Best Acoustic Guitarist. Greg's band, the Greg Morton Trio, won the TAMMIES Award for Best Country & Western Band in 2003, and Best Bluegrass Band in 2004. Today, Greg plays in various venues throughout southern Arizona, and has recently released his Solo Guitar CD. Mark Robertson-Tessi Mark began playing piano at the age of seven, and also studied violin and french horn as a youngster. In high school, he was a member of a Jazz ensemble, and his love of Jazz continued as he played for many groups during his college years while he earned his degree in recording sciences. His formal training in music theory helped him master many musical styles, and many musical instruments, including mandolin, guitar, banjo, bouzouki, violin, bass and piano. He is a very in-demand player locally, and has many music projects in progress, including recording and performances with Round the House, The Determined Luddites, The Wayback Machine, The Street Minstrels, and the BarnJazz Quartet, to name a few. Mark has won the Four Corner States Mandolin Championship in Wickenburg, AZ, and the Tucson Irish Music Competition on mandolin and tenor banjo. He has twice received a TAMMIE award for Best Multi-Instrumentalist in Tucson from the Tucson Weekly, and most recently for Best String Player in Tucson in 2005 and 2006. In 2004, he placed top 5 in the National Mandolin Championships in Winfield, Kansas. Mark continues to compose progressive acoustic music, drawing on many different influences. His writing is somewhat influenced by baroque and Spanish harmony, modal melody, and energetic rhythmic elements.
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