Marc Yxley began playing guitar at age eleven. By age fifteen, e was hired to pay with Roy Counts of the Texas Wanderers who had played the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Six years later, Marc was employed with Costa Cruise Ship Lines. He performed jazz and classical guitar concerts on te World Renaissace Cruise Ship for one year.
In 1979, Marc moved to New York City and studied cello with a member of the New York Philharmonic. He also studied jazz and classical guitar with some of the city’s greatest players.
In 1981, Marc was approached by a European film director who was dierectig the Univesral Studios movie, Ghost Story. The movie starred Fred Astaire and John Houseman. The director was so impressed with Marc’s guitar playing, that he asked him to perform the Vivaldi Lute Concerto as part of the film’s soundtrack.
In 1984, Marc moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. He became musical director at Nellis Air Force Base, and performed regularly on the Las Vegas Strip. The venues included Desert Inn, Las Vegas Hilton, Caesar’s Paace, The Mint, The Frontier, Bally’s and Circus Circus. His group won a music competition in 1985 at the Circus Circus Hotel.
Marc performed with jazz trombone legend, Carl Fontanna at the Bourbon Street Motel. His second group, Generation Gap, performed with Frankie Avalon (Venus) at the famous San Genero Festival at the Aladdin Hotel. His third group, Sidewinder, wound up at the Las Vegas Hilton where he performed jazz guitar solos for boxer Muhammed Ali, actor Lou Gossett Jr., pop singer Helen Reddy, and comic Rich Little.
In 1986, he joined the Maurice Moore Four (Playboy Club of Chicago) and performed at the famous Bally’s Showroom. Marc’s quartet shared a joint concert with the Classic Four (Spooky) at the Peppermill Showroom and his popular guitar showpiece “Marc’s Medley” brought the house to their feet night after night.
In 1989, Marc was asked to come to Florida to join The Harold Blanchard Quartet. Blanchard had just won a Gammy for his composition “New Earth Sonata”, produced by Quincy Jones. This piece featured jazz great Chic Corea. Blanchard’s quartet was invited to play alongside the London Symphony Orchestra. Marc’s guitar playing was featured on an original composition “Southeast from Here.” This piece was composed to feature Marc’s virtuosity by Blanchard. Marc cites this as being the greatest music experience of his life. While in Florida, he also performed with jazz legend Ira Sullivan at the Ormand Beach Jazz Festival.
Since moving to North Carolina in 1993, Marc has recorded six CD’s. The latest, “A Setting for the Standards,” featuring Bill Berg (formerly with Bob Dylan, Leo Keotke) and bassist Cameron Austin. His CD with Triad, a guitar trio, was presented on National Public Radio.
Marc has been an opening act for Maynard Ferguson, Ramsey Lewis, Dave Brubeck, and George Shearing. Marc has also performed an arrangement of Dave Brubeck’s “Blue Rondo ala Turk” with Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band.
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