SATURDAY STAFF STORIES:
Mark Jackovic
Q: How long have you been with MCG Jazz?
A: Ever since I found out about MCG Jazz I knew I wanted to get involved. It all started with an internship put together by Mike Tomaro, Marty Ashby, Renee Govanucci and other Duquesne University staff. After the internship ended I volunteered a lot over the years and then got asked to be the Front House Coordinator. Now I’ve been working full time for 6 years as the Eduction and Archives Manager.
Q: Why did you join MCG Jazz?
A: The music is what brought me to MCG Jazz. I am a jazz musician and some of the best jazz musicians in the world perform at MCG. How could I not want to help with their mission to preserve, present and promote Jazz. Being a part of a team that loves jazz and the people who create it as much as I do is why I joined the MCG Jazz.
Q: What do you do at MCG Jazz?
A: My official title is Education and Archives Manager but I feel like over the years I have done a little of everything. Merch sales, artist transport, stage hand, performer, promoter, presenter, video tech, consultant, educator, and so much more. Recently I have been working on the West Virginia Jazz Education Initiative which has reached thousands of students across multiple counties. The last two years I have done a lot of video work in an effort to reach students in a virtual way. Our last School of Swing program was virtual and I had a lot of fun producing the video which reached over six thousand students and provided three schools with a used instruments. The archives keep me busy as well. Currently I am working on creating metadata standards to describe all of our digital born assets like concert A/V recordings. I am also working on creating a trusted digital repository in order to preserve and make accessible assets being created today and digital surrogates of concerts pasted.
Q: Do you have a mentor? If so, tell us about them.
A: Marty Ashby has been an amazing mentor to me. Marty always surprises me with his knowledge of music and business. His musicianship on the guitar is masterful and in the same breath he can lead a board of directors meeting. He teaches me something new all the time.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A: My favorite part of the job are concerts. Listening to masterful musicians play their favorite songs on the MCG Jazz stage will inspire me forever.
Q: Tell us a surprising or a fun fact about you.
A: I don’t think many people know this about me but I grew up on a Farm. I am the oldest of three boys and we were up early every morning taking care of the animals. We had pigs, cows, chickens, a couple sheep, dogs and lots of barn cats.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
A: Playing the saxophone is #1. If I am not performing I like to hike and fish. The last hike I did was on my honeymoon with my wife Ashlee. We hiked over 6 miles on Catalina Island off the cost of Los Angeles, CA. The craziest hike I ever completed so far was the 60 mile Kokoda Trek in Papua New Guinea.
Q: What type of jazz is your favorite to listen to/play?
A: I love swing, be-bop, and hard bop the most but I enjoy listening and playing a variety of styles of jazz and music in general.
Q: What is something that has surprised you about working at MCG Jazz?
A: MCG Jazz has been a part of so many amazing events since 1987. I shouldn’t be surprised, but as I learn more about the organization's history through cataloging the archives, I continue to be amazed at their impact on the region.
Q: Who is an artist you want to see perform at MCG Jazz and why?
A: I want to see Troy Roberts perform at MCG. He plays with a number of great artists but I hope we can have his group Nu-Jive perform here soon. Troy’s story is inspiring to me. A jazz lover from Australia who comes to New York City and takes over the scene. He is just an amazing saxophonist and a better human being.