Markus Schwartz

Born in Copenhagen Denmark, Markus Schwartz grew up in an American household surrounded by Jazz, and has devoted more than twenty-five years to learning the wealth and complexity of traditional Haitian religious music. Moving in and out of Haiti since the early 1990s, Markus followed the lead of Haitian percussionists on pilgrimages into the countryside to learn the intricate and powerful drumming styles of the various lakou—historic religious compounds—such as Badjo, Soukri and Souvenance. Settling in Brooklyn in the late 90's, Markus became a sought-after drummer at Haitian Vodou ceremonies, and was instrumental in creating the ground-breaking Haitian Jazz quintet Mozayik, bringing his informed arrangements of Vodou rhythms to jazz standards, Haitian traditional songs and Mozayik’s original compositions. He has since become a first-call percussionist on the NYC Haitian music scene, performing and recording with a diverse array of artists across many genres. With an extensive discography as a featured artist on myriad projects, Markus has also released three recordings as a leader, to critical acclaim and international airplay; Tanbou nan Lakou Brooklyn (2008), Equinox (2011) and Vo-Duo Nou La w/ Monvelyno Alexis (2013). Current projects include his own band Lakou Brooklyn, as well as Grammy-winning saxophonist David Sanchez' Carib project, and We All Break, led by the iconic drummer Ches Smith, along with pianist Matt Mitchell and Haitian master drummer Daniel Brevil.