I first met and played with Mark in 1989 at the original Knitting Factory on Houston Street in NYC. I was 24 and this was my first trip to the city. Spending time and playing together with Mr. Whitecage had an enormous impact on me. I was just a young pup and he was already a seasoned artist whom I looked up to. Obviously there was a big gap between what I had to offer then and where he was at, but he didn’t let me feel it. He was very generous and welcoming.

After trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr.’s passing in 2014, the remaining members of the Nu Band – Mark, Joe Fonda and Lou Grassi, asked me to join. Since moving to the city in 2008, I had often played with Joe and Lou in other contexts, but until joining the Nu Band, I hadn’t reconnected with Mark. The first rehearsal felt like we were picking up where we had left off 25 years earlier! Mark and I connected in a very natural way despite coming from different musical backgrounds and generations. His curiosity and artistic flexibility in conjunction with going all in and having a big heart made him such a special artist. I am very grateful for the years we spent together – four European tours, numerous concerts in the US, and this, our third recording. Thank you, dear Mark! 

Thomas Heberer, NYC, July 7, 2021

I knew Mark Whitecage and played with him in numerous projects
for 40 years. In those 40 years he became a mentor, a teacher, a great
friend and a positive influence on myself, my life and my music.
Mark always came to the music and to the performance without his ego. Never do I remember once ever seeing him perform and be caught up in his ego while the music was being played. It was always a spiritual process for Mark to play music. It was always a selfless act in terms of what he could give to the world through his music.

I loved the fact that Mark played from his body. He had a special Groove, a special rhythmical reality that he could create whenever he wanted to make the band groove.That was what I call the Mark Whitecage feel. Everything Mark played came from his body. Mark also was a musician with an enormous amount of energy. He could make the music soar with his energy, and he could maintain that energy for such a long time. He never seemed to run out of energy. It was the band that always got tired first.

Mark was also an extremely creative person. He was a sculptor. He created his own series of instruments. They looked and sounded like instruments from another planet. There is a video available on YouTube, where we incorporated Mark's sculptures into the music. The performance was at Saint Peter's Church in New York City.

I loved Mark deeply, and I will miss him, and I look forward to the time when we meet again to create that powerful music that only he could manifest.

Joe Fonda, NYC, July 7, 2021.

Mark’s brilliance and originality as a musician will live on through his music and through the many musicians who had the privilege of coming into his sphere and being encouraged, inspired and nurtured by him.

As an artist he was original, uncompromising and totally committed to using his art to make the world a better place. European audiences went wild for his political compositions such as “Bushwacked” and “Prayer for the Water Protectors.” As a human being he was kind, compassionate, generous and caring. Thank you Mark for 20 years of unbridled joy with the Nu Band. Rest in Peace.

Lou Grassi, NYC, July 7, 2021