Mark Ellman: A Lifetime of Music, Harmony, and Jazz in Springfield
It starts with a saxophone and a record spinning on the turntable. Nine-year-old Mark Ellman watches as his father plays along to Stan Getz, the warm, smooth tone of the tenor saxophone filling the room. “Then a year later 10 years old Dad brought home the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings Gershwin. I will never forget the feeling that sparked in me.” A spark was lit—a lifelong love affair with music.
From that moment, Mark's path seemed clear: music was going to be his world. He took up the alto saxophone, navigating lessons with a keen ear but struggling reading music. “I had a good ear but reading was a challenge to me.” The formative years brought new influences—The Beatles arrived in America, and Mark, like so many others, was swept up in the wave. Then came the moment that would change everything: seeing Jimi Hendrix live as a freshman in HS. “It was life changing for me,” he recalls, knowing right then that music was not just a hobby—it was what he wanted to do.
Mark’s journey through music was anything but linear. He fell in love with jazz guitar, drawing inspiration from Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, and George Benson. Rock was in his bloodstream too—Terry Kath of Chicago was, and still is, one of his favorite guitarists. His father, recognizing his talent, would play jazz standards with him at home, challenging him to figure out the chords by ear. “Because we did not have a fake book, I had to figure out the chords on my own. Dad could always tell when I played the right chord. This really helped me develop a good ear.”
As a music education major in college, Mark realized that teaching wasn’t his path. Instead as a guitarist, he joined Aureus, a seven-piece jazz-rock band that traveled the country, blending jazz rock/horn arrangements with tight vocal harmonies. "That's when I learned to sing. If I didn’t sing, I couldn’t be in the band.” Graduating in 1975 he traveled with the band until 1981. Recently as a result of COVID, some of the members of Aureus got together again to record remotely on the internet. You can check some of those videos out at https://aureusband.com.
In 1981 life called Mark back to Chicago, where he chose family over full time music. He entered the insurance business full time but played on weekends in a jobbing band until moving to Springfield in 1990, staying with insurance while still being musically active. "Springfield has been a great place for work, family, and music. My wife Nadine and I have been married now for 48 years. We have 4 kids and 8 grandkids. Although all of our kids are musical, our youngest daughter is an opera singer and our 2 oldest grandsons are budding young jazz musicians."
For Mark, music has never been just about performing—it’s about connection. Soon after moving here, he met Randy Hamm, Mark Brueggemann, and Johnny Strickler, some of Springfield’s best musicians. He also became the become the leader of the contemporary choir at his church, Immaculate Conception. "My faith is a big part of my life". Mark and 2 members of the choir formed Geezer the Band. Playing classic rock, they concentrated on vocals with their signature harmonies defining their sound until 2023. “I referred to it as the classy side of classic rock (Ambrosia, Steely Dan, Toto, Little River Band).”
Ten years ago, he joined MOJO (Missouri Jazz Orchestra), becoming a core part of the rhythm section. Through MOJO came MOJO Lite, a smaller, tight-knit ensemble that brings jazz to Hold Fast Brewery every second and fourth Tuesday. “Thanks to Randy Hamm for founding this fantastic orchestra, MOJO. And thanks to Jeff Gouge and Mark Brueggemann for forming and including me in MOJO-Lite from the beginning.”
Today, Mark is exactly where he wants to be—playing jazz, surrounded by talented musicians, and contributing to the vibrant Springfield music scene. Though he can do solo gigs, he thrives in collaboration, feeding off the energy and interplay of a group. “Whether I’m playing guitar and/or singing with a band or accompanying one of the many great female singers in town, I am happy to be part of the Springfield jazz scene.”
From that first Ella Fitzgerald record to a lifetime spent making music, Mark’s journey is a testament to passion, perseverance, and the beauty of harmony—both in music and in life.
Come watch Mark play with Mojo Lite at Hold Fast Brewing on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month.
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