Biography
Professional Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Soprano Saxophonist
“The Sax Guy,” Mark Armstrong, is a professional saxophone player with many years of experience. His music career began in Canada, where he studied music at Toronto’s prestigious Humber College. Originally from Northern Ontario, Mark now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mark’s ability to shine on alto, tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones has brought him ongoing success as a professional musician. He has performed and/or recorded with The Temptations, The Drifters, The Vandellas, Ian Hunter, Paul Shaffer & The David Letterman Show Band, David Clayton Thomas, The Platters, Peter Noone and many more.
Mark is also an accomplished studio musician with many recording credits. He has performed thousands of live engagements – including concert tours, TV and radio performances. Mark has been hired to write hundreds of custom horn arrangements and has acted as a producer and musical director on countless occasions.
Saxophonist
Horn Arranger/ Producer
Studio Recordings Soloist
Musical Director
Resumé
A seasoned saxophonist and musical director, Mark Armstrong has performed with legends like The Temptations, Ian Hunter, and David Clayton Thomas, bringing soulful energy to concerts, clubs, and corporate stages alike. His recording credits span over 40 albums, including collaborations with renowned artists such as Tony “Wild T” Springer and Marc Jordan. From national TV and radio jingles to live broadcasts with the Paul Shaffer band, his saxophone has shaped soundtracks across media. A skilled arranger, producer, and graduate of Humber College’s jazz program, he blends technical mastery with creative versatility—on stage, in the studio, and behind the scenes.
EXPERIENCE
Live Performances: Concerts, Nightclubs, Corporate & Private Events
CDs, Jingles, TV & Radio
Horn Arrangements, Music Transcription & Scoring
Producer, Musical Director
EMPLOYMENT
RECORDING HIGHLIGHTS
David Bowie Guitarist, Tony “Wild T” Springer
Marc Jordan
James Owen Bush
Frozen Ghost
LIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Ian Hunter
The Temptations
The Drifters
The Platters
David Clayton Thomas
Bobby Parker
Gary Busey
Peter Noone
RADIO & TV
Paul Shaffer & David Letterman Show band
Featured Saxophone Soloist: 1999 Genie Awards
TV series & movie soundtracks
National radio jingles
PRODUCER/MUSICAL DIRECTOR
James Owen Bush: “Love Like Thunder” (featuring two Top-40 singles)
Jack Semple (voted Canada’s Best Guitarist)
Team Canada (NHL) Theme Song: “Team of the Century”
James Owen Bush Canadian Tour
Club Blue Note House Band, Toronto
EDUCATION
Humber College, Toronto
Jazz program: Arranging & Performance major
RECORDING CREDITS
Anita Wintzer
Blair Clark
Bob Taillefer
Brenda Baker
Burn The Still
Charles Huntley
Colin McKechnie
Dave Bingham
Dave Murphy
Frozen Ghost
George St. Kitts
Gordi Monroe
HT3
Jack Semple
Jack Semple
James Owen Bush
John Burns
Karen Eaton
Kelleen
Kenny Driscoll
Kim Archer
Lawnie Wallace
Lenore
Loose Booty
Marc Jordan
Matthew Gerrard
Roger Lapointe
State of Mind
Steven “C” & the Red Rockets
The Cos
The Lincolns
Tony Cheeseborough
U.Y.K.
Wild “T” & The Spirit
Zemer Orchestra
LINKS & FAVORITES
FAVORITE ARTISTS
Testimonials
The addition of The Sax Guy changed our nice event into something magnificent. He had excellent communication, timeliness, and professionalism but most importantly he was incredibly talented. I can’t wait to plan another event so that I can book him again!
We had Mark "The Sax Guy" play at our daughters wedding for the cocktail hour. It was absolutely wonderful. It added that perfect elegance that you want for a special event. Our guest really enjoyed the music and are still talking about how good he was.
Wow what a treat!! The music was fantastic and Mark was more than on time with awesome communication and check-ins. He looked the part and wowed the crowd at our corporate happy hour. I’ll definitely be keeping him on my vendor list! Great job!!
I am president of a school Foundation and we used the Sax Guy for our biggest fundraiser of the year, a Monte Carlo Night. Mark arrived on time, was flexible and very pleasant to work with. More importantly though, his music was amazing! This was the first year in seven years we went a different direction with our entertainment, and he was a hit! Our entire board had multiple people comment how much they loved the music. "I loved the vibe this year" was the quote of the night. A little rat pack for our Vegas night mixed in with classics everyone enjoyed, The Sax Guy was just what our event needed to make it even better and we've already rebooked him for next year! Give his a try; you will not be disappointed.
We hired Mark (the Sax Guy) for a reenactment of our first date one year ago. We included family for a pool side Independence Day celebration and it was absolutely perfect. Mark is prompt and professional, played exactly what we asked, and of course his sound is phenomenal. We absolutely love “The Sax Guy!” The whole family agreed to make this a tradition. Highly recommend for a personal touch to your special events.
The sax guy is a professional, wonderful, all around amazing experience for any event. We hired him for a small event for background music and he played his play list and threw in some christmas music at our request. He was an amazing saxophone player, musician, entertainer, and performer. So much so that we are hiring him for our future, much larger events. We highly recommend him for any event large or small! We can’t say enough about how wonderful he was!
We have been followers and fans of “The Sax Guy” since day one. We’ve seen him several times at different venues and have always had a great time. We had him play at our wedding open house and it was “perfect”. So, fast forward five years later, and once again he was “perfect” He’s engaging, entertaining and unbelievably talented. His set list is a great mix for any crowd. He even added a special request for our event. If you’re in search of entertainment for your event, corporate or private, “The Sax Guy” is “The Guy”. We cannot wait until our 10th, so we can book him again!!!
The Sax Guy did a great job for us at our Mother's Day Brunch event this year. He was set up in our ballroom and created a fun atmosphere with his diverse song list and background music so it didn't just sound like a one man saxophone, it sounded like a full jazz band! Highly recommended!
This past November our son got married in Fort Wayne Indiana. Not only did we host a rehearsal dinner but our son and his bride had a very large reception. We secured the services of Mark Armstrong, The Sax Guy to the delight of our guests at the rehearsal dinner and for the appetizer and cocktail portion of the wedding reception. Truly, one of the best moves we made in trying to provide a wonderful experience for our rehearsal dinner guests and the wedding guests. In both cases, I repeatedly heard how they wish Mark could have kept on playing and what an extraordinary sax player Mark is. Of course, we already knew that which is why we secured his services. His fees are so reasonable, his personality perfect and his music second to none. I encourage people to add Mark and his musical gifts to their venues particularly if they want to both delight and entertain their guests in a truly memorable way!!!!!
Our guests loved having The Sax Guy at our awards dinner for our 2018 National Sales Meeting at the Indianapolis Artsgarden. Mark provided a great environment and helped us spice up our awards program. He was very prompt and professional and understanding when we ran over a bit. Would definitely recommend to others!
Working with Mark was easy, professional, and everything went according to plan. He is flexible, amusing, approachable, and enjoyed meeting our guests and talking with everyone. His talent is amazing and his music adapted for our party was perfect. He MADE our party flow with movement and happy moments. It was a lot of fun and we would recommend him for any size event that wanted quality entertainment with a lot of CLASS!
We had an afternoon open house and outdoor party to wind down the summer. Mark-the Sax Guy-provided his smooth and pleasing jazz and pop. Mark's music set the ambiance for a fun and entertaining afternoon with friends. I highly recommend him.
We hired The Sax Guy to accompany a wine tasting event that we threw at our country club. He was wonderful! The music he selected was perfect with the wine tasting event and made an atmosphere great for dinner and mingling. Our members loved him and said he provided a great ambiance without being overpowering. He has played here several times in the past and is always a hit. We can't wait to have Mark join us again at future events. He is the perfect performer for any gathering!
Mark played at our annual holiday party in our Zionsville home. All of our guests were completely impressed. He made the event very special and was really able to bring the Christmas spirit!!! For weeks my wife and I have received compliments on how special they thought the evening was and much of that was attributed to "The Sax Guy"!!!
We selected The Sax Guy to enhance the ambiance of our company holiday networking event with top notch music. He provided a terrific selection and variety of music and was very in tune with his audience. He was flexible with our needs and very easy to work with. He is an excellent musician with a beautiful tone and is very personable. We highly recommend him and look forward to working with him in the future. Once you hear him, you'll think of using him for future business events, family gatherings and special occasions.
We had The Sax Guy play at our wedding Open House and, as we expected, he did not disappoint. His sets were spot on. His selections were lively and kept our crowd of over 100 guests tapping their toes when they were not on their feet dancing. Fortunately for us, the weather allowed for him to play outside on our deck and it couldn't have been better.
Would definitely recommend The Sax Guy and look forward to having him return!!!