Mark McLean

Mark McLean is a Canadian musician, drummer, composer, lyricist and studio musician. McLean lives and works primarily in New York. He has released three albums under his own name. The first showcases his arrangements of jazz standards while his later albums are original material. His very early influence was his father's record collection, which included every genre: from Johann Sebastian Bach to James Brown. McLean is becoming known as the "drum whisperer" in part because he can coax organic sounds out any drum kit. McLean is musically multilingual: jazz, rhythm and blues, funk, pop or any genre required for the song.
McLean's great uncle, Cy McLean was one of the first black band leaders in Canada. His brother Lester McLean is an accomplished saxophonist and vocalist in the Toronto jazz and RnB scene.
McLean began his career at age nine as a gifted classical pianist, but by age 14 had started a second career playing the drums. By the time he was 18, the drums eclipsed the piano as McLean's voice for musical expression and the age of 22 he was playing with fellow Canadian and jazz icon, Oscar Peterson.