The title track from my upcoming Debut EP
‘What Have You Forgotten?’
Out on 26th September 2025
This piece is the oldest song on my debut EP — and perhaps the most important. I wrote it in the UK before I left to rebuild my story in Scandinavia. It carried me through those first rehearsals, into auditions in Denmark, and now, years later, it has followed me all the way onto this record. It feels right that it should also give the EP its name.
The question — What Have You Forgotten? — is layered. It speaks to the sacrifices of moving abroad: the friendships, places, and communities I left behind, the support networks that once felt permanent but now live mostly in memory. It is a dedication to those I no longer see enough, but never stop remembering. It also reflects the smaller, more immediate anxieties of a life lived from a suitcase: Did I pack everything? Where’s my passport? Am I carrying what I need?
But at its heart, this piece is about memory and identity. In new countries and cultures, it’s easy to reinvent yourself, to adapt to each new circle of people. Yet I’ve always asked myself: what parts of me must never be forgotten? What strengths, what stories, what truths do I carry with me?
The song itself began from one of my earliest memories: sitting in the back of my mum’s car, clutching my beloved toy rabbit, Bunny, and crying because I was afraid that one day I might grow up and forget her. That fear — of losing connection to what matters most — has followed me ever since. It has made me sentimental, grateful, attentive to memory. It is why I never feel truly alone: my past, my friends, my family, my childhood, all remain alive within me.
This piece is a reminder of that — that we are made of the things we refuse to forget.
Find the Wav. File and downloadable Artwork here:
The 2nd single from My Debut EP
‘SCANDINAVIA’
Out Now!
This piece is called Scandinavia, but really, it tells the story of me.
It’s a sonic journal of the last four years—of leaving behind everything familiar and stepping into a life I couldn’t yet imagine. Of finding new landscapes, new friends, and a new version of myself.
Scandinavia is both a dedication and a reflection. It’s a tribute to the lands and people that have held me, challenged me, inspired me. The music draws on the folk traditions I encountered in Sweden and Denmark—melody-led, free in time, rich with space and soul. When I play it, I see the view from that first train ride to Stockholm: vast skies, glinting water, quiet forests reaching toward the light. I hear the echo of long winters in Finland—dark, cold, and strangely comforting. The kind of darkness that teaches you to find your own light.
There is strength in this music. And fragility too. Some of the melodies are warm and open, like sunlight on snow. Others are darker, shaped by solitude and seasons that hit deep. But like life here, the music always moves forward—resilient, searching, honest.
If Words Can’t Say was a thank you to my past, then Scandinavia is a love letter to my present. A forward-looking requiem for the friendships that carried me, the lessons that shaped me, and the land that has become my home.
This piece is my silver lining.
Find the Wav. File and downloadable Artwork here:
The 1st single from My Debut EP
‘WORDS CAN’T SAY’
Out Now
The Story
This piece is my open window. A space to breathe, to feel, to let memory rise like mist from the past and fold itself into melody. It is where I return to the moments that shaped me—quiet revelations, turning points, the echoes of love and loss—and let them speak through improvisation.
Each time I play it, whether beneath stage lights or within studio walls, I aim to arrive wholly in the present. To stand still inside the music and let it carry the weight of all I’ve lived.
The seed of this song was planted years ago, in a backstage conversation with a friend who told me he wanted to give everything in his performance—emotionally, musically, unflinchingly. That stayed with me. Still does. And in many ways, this piece is the embodiment of that promise: to hold nothing back.
It’s also a thank you. To those who’ve walked beside me on this path—especially my parents, whose love is woven into every note. When I play, I think of them. Of everything they gave. And I play to give something back.
The Sound
This piece begins in fire—passionate, bold, unrelenting. A saxophone cries out through rich, spiced harmony, while trumpet and drums ignite around it like fireworks in the dark. The band moves as one, holding no fixed time, only trust.
Then comes the simmer. The saxophone softens—tender, poised, still burning with intention. The band begins to swing, building slowly, speaking together in an unfolding conversation. Echoes of Coltrane and Garrett linger in this modal, spiritual space, where emotion floats between sorrow and strength.
There’s something otherworldly here—celestial or spiritual—hovering just above the sound. The tempo is deliberate. Every note lands with weight. The piece moves through darkness, not with fear, but with a sense of healing and ascent.
And in the end, we arrive somewhere new. A quiet landing after the storm. A place of peace. Of transformation.
Find the Wav. File and downloadable Artwork here:
Debut EP - “What Have You Forgotten?”
Full EP Out on 20th October
Mark Hurrell - Saxophone
Christos Stylianides - Trumpet
Pasquale RInaldi - Piano
Philip Akrofi - Bass
Malte Wibell - Drums
Mark is a British saxophonist, composer, and bandleader based in Copenhagen. His music blends jazz tradition with cinematic storytelling, virtuosic improvisation, and a deep emotional core. Drawing inspiration from life across the UK, Scandinavia, and Europe, Mark creates striking, original compositions performed by a tight-knit international ensemble. Whether on stage or in the studio, his sound is bold, groovy, and dramatic — rooted in jazz, but unafraid to explore beyond.
ABOUT THE EP:
Mark’s debut EP, recorded in 2024, is a deeply personal statement shaped by years of performing across Europe and living between the UK, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. The album explores themes of memory, belonging, and identity through lush harmonies, rhythmic fire, and emotionally charged improvisation.
Performed by an international quintet of next-generation jazz artists, the music weaves jazz tradition with contemporary European soundscapes. This project is a celebration of transformation — gritty, cinematic, and heartfelt. It will be released in 2025 alongside a tour of Denmark, the UK, and Scandinavia.