Respite

d. mark owen is a seasoned pianist, keyboardist, producer, arranger, music director, mixing and mastering engineer, and proprietor of his own innovatively designed studio Nonebody Productions (with partner and drummer Cam Tyler). Based in Las Vegas, Owen is currently Associate Conductor of Cirque Du Soleil’s mammoth production KÁ. He is the lyricist and coleader, with Cam Tyler, of the pop group Cryptic Cadet, which released the 2021 album Disconnected featuring vocalist Olivia Rubini, electric bass giant Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Wayne Krantz, Elvis Costello) and other fine musicians.

Owen has just released the largely one-man album Respite on Blue Canoe Records, connecting sparkling acoustic piano, lush synth pads and intriguing harmonies to clear and expressive melodic lines, grounded in a percussive groove sensibility. The result is a set of original instrumental pieces with ample tonal and thematic sophistication, engaging melodies and richly contrasting moods.

Owen graduated Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music, where he studied with Bob Winter, Jeff Covell, Christian Jacob, Dave Frank and Andy LaVerne. Before he finished 6th grade he’d taken up trumpet, drums and piano, but committed himself fully to piano by his junior year in high school. He has also played guitar and bass professionally. Prior to his Las Vegas chapter, he did extensive studio work as manager, producer and engineer of Citywalk Studios in Missouri, contracting sessions for clients, writing commissioned works and delivering TV and radio spots for hire. Among his album production credits are Bill Caldwell’s Common Tones (featuring Steve Cardenas, Bob Bowman, Todd Strait, liner notes by Mike Metheny), Dave Tieff’s The Art of Peace, Jimmy Carpenter’s Soul Doctor, Mighty Joe King’s The Human Revolution and more. Owen is above all a sound artist, bringing his considerable acumen and wide-ranging experience to bear in every professional context.