The Mark Craddock Trio - Goodbye Blue Monday (2009)

A San Francisco player through the 1990s, Mark Craddock was a member of “Thunder Blue,” a heavily Jimi Hendrix-influenced blues-rock band fronted by Bay Area veteran Regi harvey. Mark also was a member of a popular San Francisco free-jazz group, “The Lab Rats,” and did occasionals, session work and jams with many Bay Area notables such as percussionist Hugh “Sweetfoot” Manard (Caribbean All Stars), blues harpist Red Archibald, and steel guitarist Freddie Roulette. At one time or another, he played in most of the Bay Area’s major blues and rock venues, including New George’s (San Rafael); Skip’s Tavern, The Blue Lamp, Lou’s Pier 47, Biscuits and Blues, The Boom Boom Room (all San Francisco clubs); and JJ’s Blues (San Jose). In late 2001, Mark moved to Walsenburg, Colo., his wife’s hometown.

In addition to gigging with local musicians such as Brent and Babz Seawell, Steve Hohn, and Glenn Wilbanks, Craddock formed his own 9-piece funk/fusion band “Blue Monday,” which gigged frequently around Pueblo and Colorado Springs from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, Mark met Chicago blues pianist Ken Saydak and Nashville songwriter Fred James at a local watering hole. For the next three years he played extensively around Colorado and New Mexico as a member of Ken’s band, as well as gigging with Fred’s “Blazz” (blues-jazz) project.

For the last year and a half, Mark been playing pretty much exclusively with his own jazz combo, “The Mark Craddock Trio,” with bassist Tom Read and percussionist David Zehring. The trio has just released its first CD project on the L.A.-based Snailworx label, engineered by Steve Hohn, produced by Fred James, and featuring Ken Saydak, who stopped by the studio to lay down some incredible Hammond B3 tracks.