JAYAR MACK BIO:
American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger, and producer from Chicago, Illinois.
JAYAR MACK (born March 16, 1965) is an American producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader.
MACK emerged in the early 1980's as a singer, songwriter and producer, getting his start in Chicago before moving to New York in 1983. He spent the next seven years being an in-demand keyboardist and studio session player. He also played drums, bass and rhythm guitars during that period.
By the 90's, potential record deals with such labels as EMI/Capitol Records eluded him, yet he continued to write and record. By 1999, he met a musical ally in the person of Edgardo Cintron, amaster percussionist and timbalero, protege' of Tito Puente', and who played with a who's who of great artists from Santana to Stevie Wonder to Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Cintron heard a song MACK originally wrote for Anita Baker entitled "IN MY HEART" and decided he wanted it for his upcoming album Cintron Absolutely! Cintron introduced MACK to well known singer, songwriter, attorney and label head Rocco DePersia, who's label Cintron was signed to, and in mid 2000 Cintron Absolutely! was released with 3 tracks produced and arranged by JAYAR MACK. IN MY HEART proved to be a very pivotal song for MACK, for it went on to appear on a follow up album entitled Hit Men which was released on Latin Cool Records in 2003. The success culminated in a Latin Grammy nomination for best Latin album. This led to DePersia securing major label distribution for the next album, released in 2005 entitled Back In The Day with Universal Music Group. Once again, MACK’S In My Heart was chosen to be on this album. From the mid to late 2000's, MACK toured with the Latin Jazz/Soul Band, recording one more studio album with them, 2007's Latin Soul which had a #1 Latin track entitled Old School Philly Medley which MACK sang falsetto lead and backing vocals on. In 2009 MACK left the band Cintron formally, but still occasionally does reunion shows with them.
In 2018, JAYAR MACK finally released his very first single under his own name entitled YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO GOOD on JACODA RECORDS, an independent label and production company he and a couple of friends formed in 1987 to put out more of his material. As a result, the single shot to #7 on the UK R&B/Soul Chart, #2 in Canada, and a remix went all the way to #1 in Brazil. 2019 saw the release of a compilation album, THE BEST OF JAYAR MACK, which chronicled the last 25 years of MACK’S recording career with other bands and groups including Cintron.
In the 2000's MACK has also served as Keyboardist, Vocalist, and Musical Director for many groups and artists from The Ebonys to Glenn Leonard of The Temptations. He has shared the stage with and worked with many diverse R&B/Soul Artists to Smooth Jazz, from the Delfonics, Billy Paul, John Whitehead (of McFadden & Whitehead fame) to Grammy Award Winners Stanley Clarke, Jon Secada and the incomparable George Benson.
Photographer: Larry Williams
Musician: JAYAR MACK
Venue: J&M Cafe, Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA. 2011