Biography
Since 1992 Mark Jaimes has maintained a busy career as a session and touring guitarist, composer, and producer in contemporary jazz and R&B. His approach blends the chromatic, multi-string funk lyricism of Grant Green and George Benson with the rhythmic vamping drive of Ronny Jordan and Chuck Loeb. He earned widespread critical attention for his contributions to Maysa Leak’s self-titled 1995 debut and became a member of Simply Red for the charting 1998 album Blue. He stayed with the group through 2003 and has continued appearing on their recordings despite no longer holding full-time status. Since 2010 he has served as house guitarist at England’s historic Pizza Express jazz club. His extensive session work includes American jazz figures such as Richard Eliot, Rick Braun, and Mindi Abair, among many others, while he has also recorded and produced various pop acts. In 2021 he issued his first solo album, Hear at Last, on Trippin N’ Rhythm Records.
Born in 1967, Jaimes began formal guitar lessons at age five and played his first paid engagement at nine. After high school he performed in several short-lived soul bands before committing to session work. A skilled sight reader with an exceptional ear, he is a strong improviser whose knowledge spans classic soul, funk, jazz, and R&B. Following a series of auditions he became the staff guitarist at David Dundas Music, where he appeared on numerous prominent television and film jingles. His first recording credit arrived in 1992 with German vocalist Mark Keller, yet he gained wider notice from critics and players alike through London’s acid-jazz scene in 1995 on Maysa Leak’s debut album Maysa. That same year he contributed to “Angel’s Blush,” the charting single by Polish jazz-pop singer Basia, and to her well-known version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s bossa-nova standard “Waters of March,” both of which later appeared on the 1998 compilation Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia.
Simply Red bassist, drummer, producer, and composer Gota Yashiki was particularly struck by Jaimes’ work and invited him to join Mick Hucknall’s celebrated UK soul and pop ensemble in time for the 1998 album Blue. Jaimes remained the band’s guitarist from 1998 to 2003, participating in more than 160 concerts, two world tours, and the additional charting studio releases Love and the Russian Winter (1999) and Home (2003). Throughout this period he also continued studio and commercial sessions. In 2001 he formed a production partnership with keyboardist and composer Danny Saxon; together they collaborated with Ruben Studdard and Dannii Minogue and supplied the remix “Caruso” for Luciano Pavarotti’s posthumous collection Ti Adoro. After further work with Tamyra Gray and Sam & Mark in 2004, they remixed Hayley Westenra’s UK hit “What You Never Know (Won’t Hurt You)” and produced three tracks each for Simply Red’s Simplified (2005) and Stay (2007). In subsequent years Jaimes toured with Kylie Minogue and spent time with U.K.-based pianist and jazz singer Liane Carroll.
In 2010 he was asked to give actress Gwyneth Paltrow twenty guitar lessons to prepare for her role as a country singer-songwriter in director Shana Feste’s film Country Strong. That same year Pizza Express keyboardist and bandleader Oli Silk invited him to substitute for the house guitarist, after which Jaimes completed a five-night engagement with the duo R&R featuring American jazz musicians Richard Eliot and Rick Braun. Braun was sufficiently impressed to urge Jaimes to record a solo album at once. Jaimes eventually assumed the permanent house-guitarist position at Pizza Express. The connection with Braun proved valuable, leading to further work with Braun himself as well as extensive collaborations with Brian Culbertson, Dave Koz, Chuck Loeb, Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair, Euge Groove, and additional artists.
In 2012 Jaimes and Saxon served as the session band for Mick Hucknall’s solo project American Soul and later appeared on Simply Red’s 2015 reunion album Big Love. Jaimes was a central member of Silk’s ensemble on the charting 2016 release Where I Left Off. He and Saxon also played on Tony Hadley’s Talking To The Moon in 2018 and on Simply Red’s Blue-Eyed Soul in 2019. Jaimes issued his debut solo album, Hear at Last, for Trippin N’ Rhythm Records in 2021. He wrote or co-wrote every track except one on the eleven-song collection. The studio personnel featured Saxon and Silk on keyboards, drummers Westley Joseph and Oscar Seaton, bassist Dwayne “Smitty” Smith, and guests Braun on trumpet, guitarist Peter White, and vocalist Patti Austin, who sang on a cover of Rod Temperton’s “Midnight Rendezvous.” In addition to producing, Jaimes performed guitar and bass and handled drum and synth programming.
Born in 1967, Jaimes began formal guitar lessons at age five and played his first paid engagement at nine. After high school he performed in several short-lived soul bands before committing to session work. A skilled sight reader with an exceptional ear, he is a strong improviser whose knowledge spans classic soul, funk, jazz, and R&B. Following a series of auditions he became the staff guitarist at David Dundas Music, where he appeared on numerous prominent television and film jingles. His first recording credit arrived in 1992 with German vocalist Mark Keller, yet he gained wider notice from critics and players alike through London’s acid-jazz scene in 1995 on Maysa Leak’s debut album Maysa. That same year he contributed to “Angel’s Blush,” the charting single by Polish jazz-pop singer Basia, and to her well-known version of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s bossa-nova standard “Waters of March,” both of which later appeared on the 1998 compilation Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia.
Simply Red bassist, drummer, producer, and composer Gota Yashiki was particularly struck by Jaimes’ work and invited him to join Mick Hucknall’s celebrated UK soul and pop ensemble in time for the 1998 album Blue. Jaimes remained the band’s guitarist from 1998 to 2003, participating in more than 160 concerts, two world tours, and the additional charting studio releases Love and the Russian Winter (1999) and Home (2003). Throughout this period he also continued studio and commercial sessions. In 2001 he formed a production partnership with keyboardist and composer Danny Saxon; together they collaborated with Ruben Studdard and Dannii Minogue and supplied the remix “Caruso” for Luciano Pavarotti’s posthumous collection Ti Adoro. After further work with Tamyra Gray and Sam & Mark in 2004, they remixed Hayley Westenra’s UK hit “What You Never Know (Won’t Hurt You)” and produced three tracks each for Simply Red’s Simplified (2005) and Stay (2007). In subsequent years Jaimes toured with Kylie Minogue and spent time with U.K.-based pianist and jazz singer Liane Carroll.
In 2010 he was asked to give actress Gwyneth Paltrow twenty guitar lessons to prepare for her role as a country singer-songwriter in director Shana Feste’s film Country Strong. That same year Pizza Express keyboardist and bandleader Oli Silk invited him to substitute for the house guitarist, after which Jaimes completed a five-night engagement with the duo R&R featuring American jazz musicians Richard Eliot and Rick Braun. Braun was sufficiently impressed to urge Jaimes to record a solo album at once. Jaimes eventually assumed the permanent house-guitarist position at Pizza Express. The connection with Braun proved valuable, leading to further work with Braun himself as well as extensive collaborations with Brian Culbertson, Dave Koz, Chuck Loeb, Kirk Whalum, Mindi Abair, Euge Groove, and additional artists.
In 2012 Jaimes and Saxon served as the session band for Mick Hucknall’s solo project American Soul and later appeared on Simply Red’s 2015 reunion album Big Love. Jaimes was a central member of Silk’s ensemble on the charting 2016 release Where I Left Off. He and Saxon also played on Tony Hadley’s Talking To The Moon in 2018 and on Simply Red’s Blue-Eyed Soul in 2019. Jaimes issued his debut solo album, Hear at Last, for Trippin N’ Rhythm Records in 2021. He wrote or co-wrote every track except one on the eleven-song collection. The studio personnel featured Saxon and Silk on keyboards, drummers Westley Joseph and Oscar Seaton, bassist Dwayne “Smitty” Smith, and guests Braun on trumpet, guitarist Peter White, and vocalist Patti Austin, who sang on a cover of Rod Temperton’s “Midnight Rendezvous.” In addition to producing, Jaimes performed guitar and bass and handled drum and synth programming.
Albums
Singles
