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Mark Lettieri
Photo Cred: Brian Friedman
"A very bright star is emerging in the guitar world and that star is Mark Lettieri… Mark’s contributions to music are with groundbreaking, genre-bending innovative groups that are finding large audiences…"
- Cover of Jazz Guitar Today
"Now up for his first GRAMMY nomination as a solo artist, this rhythm guitarist has honed his craft to the point where experimentation and creativity have lent to one of the most extraordinary records to date."
- Daily Rind
"Mark Lettieri, though a young cat, is of a dying breed, a gent whose playing is difficult to pigeonhole, though it shows antecedents in the less known work of some great players...cats like Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour, also session men and soloists whose least lauded work is their best. Those guys can fuse rock, jazz, and prog like no one's business when they've a mind to, but Lettieri does so with even greater freedom and fluidity.”
- M.S. Tucker, FAME Reviews
"Anyone who hasn't heard of Texas-based guitarist Mark Lettieri will wonder why upon listening to his debut CD, Knows. A seasoned and versatile session player, Lettieri grew up in California listening to the wide range of iconic bands that emerged from the state during the 1970s, from Steely Dan to Van Halen. Now based in the same Dallas/Fort Worth area that produced Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the guitarist fuses all of those influences and beyond into his own unique synthesis.”
- Bill Meredith, Abstract Logix
“It's a trio-quartet setting and a platform for Lettieri's good sense and interesting written launching pads. It’s beyond cliche and it shows you what he's got, which is some chops but a musical mind that works in ways that make the music worth hearing. It's not technically astute fireworks in the end. It's music. Here's a cat that's got something really nice going!”
- Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog
“You can pick out a lot of influences on this guitar man’s second jazz rocker but what it all comes down to is someone getting his Zappa on. Playing from the heart, this isn't rip off, tribute or homage, it’s just a cat that wants to shut up and play his guitar before it wants to kill your momma.”
- Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Guitarist Mark Lettieri Adds Bite to Snarky Puppy’s Funky Bark."
- Interview with Scott “DR GX” Goldfine, FUNKNSTUFF.NET
"An impeccable built do-it-all S-style that gets the most out of its HSS pickup configuration via a most-imaginative control circuit, Mark Lettieri’s signature Fiori sees PRS chalk up bolt-on triumph."
- Review of Mark's Signature PRS Guitar, MusicRadar
Sounds
• Currently has over 190,000 followers on Instagram, and over 79,000 monthly listeners on Spotify
• 2021 Album "Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2" 2022 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
• 2023 Grammy win for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for the album Empire Central, as a member of Snarky Puppy
• 2020 Grammy win for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for the album Live At Royal Albert Hall, as a member of Snarky Puppy
• 2017 Grammy win for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for the album Culcha Vulcha, as a member of Snarky Puppy
• 2016 Grammy win for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for the album Sylva, as a member of Snarky Puppy
• 2014 Grammy win for Best R&B Performance (with Lalah Hathaway), as a member of Snarky Puppy
Mark Lettieri is a six time nominated, five time GRAMMY winning guitarist, composer, producer, and instructor based in Fort Worth, TX. He creates acclaimed guitar-based instrumental music, and is a member of leading instrumental bands Snarky Puppy and The Fearless Flyers. As a session musician proficient in a multitude of styles, he has recorded and performed in virtually every genre of popular music with both independent and major-label artists.
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lettieri came to Texas via Texas Christian University (TCU), studying advertising and public relations, and competing in track and field. A passionate guitarist since middle school, he began his music career in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area upon graduating from TCU.
Lettieri has released seven albums: Knows (2011), Futurefun (2013), Spark and Echo (2016) Deep: The Baritone Sessions in (2019), Things Of That Nature (2019), Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2 (2021), and Fly Through It (EP, 2022). Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2 earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, giving Lettieri his first nomination as a solo artist. He tours this material internationally with his quartet, the Mark Lettieri Group.
Playing in the vibrant Metroplex gospel and R&B scene joined Snarky Puppy in 2008, and his work with the group has resulted in Five GRAMMY Awards: Best R&B Performance for "Something" feat. Lalah Hathaway in 2014, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (Sylva in 2016, Culcha Vulcha in 2017, Live at the Royal Albert Hall in 2020, and Empire Central in 2023).
In 2018, Lettieri helped form The Fearless Flyers, with Cory Wong, Nate Smith, and Joe Dart. The Vulfpeck-adjacent quartet has four releases to date: The Fearless Flyers (2018), The Fearless Flyers II (2019), Tailwinds (2020), Live at Madison Square Garden (2021), and The Fearless Flyers III (2022).
As a sideman, Lettieri has performed and/or recorded with a myriad of artists including Erykah Badu, David Crosby, Kirk Franklin, The Jacksons, Fred Hammond, Tori Kelly, 50 Cent, Ledisi, Tamela Mann, Lecrae, Lupe Fiasco, Keyshia Cole, Xzibit, Anthony Evans, Phillip Phillips, Nelly, Chrisette Michele, Myron Butler, and even alongside comedians Dave Chappelle and Harry Shearer. For a sizable sampling of Lettieri’s session work, visit this Spotify playlist.
In addition to his recording, and performing career, Lettieri is involved with the development and demonstration of various musical equipment with a number of brands. Recently, he teamed up with Paul Reed Smith Guitars to create his signature model electric guitar, the Fiore, released during Winter NAMM 2021. Also in 2021, he collaborated with Apple, Inc. to create a package of downloadable guitar loops for the digital audio workstations Logic Pro and Garageband. Previously in 2018, he launched his signature overdrive pedal, the MeLody, with J. Rockett Audio Designs. He serves as a clinician on behalf of these and other brands he endorses.
An avid lover of food, travel, and doing his best to keep an active lifestyle, he resides with his wife, daughter, three cats, and a hamster.