About Harlequin

Harlequin is an improvisational ensemble, created by Mark Jackowski - Piano, Keyboards, Composer and Arranger that grew out of years spent together performing at various club dates, jam sessions and shared stages as sidemen with a passion for jazz and a recognition of the excellent musical rapport they have together.

Harlequin is an ensemble that can take the form of a duo, trio and quartet, all the way up to an eight piece mini orchestra. Often, the duo is comprised of the elegant and versatile combination of the piano and the acoustic bass. It’s a perfect ensemble for an intimate gathering, event reception, cocktail or dinner party.

Currently, Mark and Howie play for the Indian Valley Country Club Sunday Jazz Brunches. Trios usually consist of the classic jazz rhythm section combination of piano, bass and drums and are the heart and soul of any larger ensemble. A nice variation if space is a consideration is a solo instrument such as a saxophone, trombone or flute in the place of the drums. Adding more instruments means enhancing the range of musical sonority, textural complexity and beauty for the listener.

The present core Harlequin band is a quartet featuring:
Nicole Thompson - Tenor and Soprano Sax & Flute
Howie Thompson - Acoustic & Electric Bass
Larry Smith – Drums
Mark Jackowski – (Leader) Piano & Keyboards

The Harlequin band takes its name from a colorful and resourceful character featured in the Italian Renaissance theatrical style called Commedia dell’Arte. The two main distinguishing traits of Commedia: a cast of Stock Characters and Improvised Scripts or Scenarios. A unique feature of Commedia dell’Arte is that the entire performance was IMPROVISED.

To quote EVERT SPRINCHORN from his book, “The Commedia dell‘Arte”... “Much of the genius of the Commedia lay in its spontaneity. No doubt this power varied from performance to performancedepending on the alertness of the players and the responses of the audiences. We might compare Commedia performance to jazz sessions, no two of which are alike, even if the same songs are played.”