Mark Lotz is a Dutch-German artist working at the edges of sound, space, and the body — a flutist, composer, and improviser whose practice moves fluidly across jazz, world, contemporary music, dance, film, theater, and electronic sound. Raised between Thailand, Uganda, and Europe, his work is shaped by displacement, ritual, and the unexpected, refusing genre as a container. Praised by Los Angeles Jazz Scene Magazine as “one of the world’s top jazz flute players,” he has spent three decades building a singular musical language that transcends borders and opens onto multiple horizons.

His music moves between solo performance, free improvisation, cinematic jazz, and projects rooted in Afro-Cuban religious music, West African Fula traditions, Turkish free improvisation, and Indian-influenced forms. Each new creation is shaped by encounter, memory, and imagination, and his collaborations frequently extend beyond music into theater, film, dance, and performance and visual art.

Lotz has performed and created across five continents, appeared on over 70 recordings and released 23 albums as a leader, recorded in Africa, the Caribbean, the Orient, Europe, and Asia. His debut Puasong Daffriek (1994) drew early attention for its unconventional concept and imagination. In 2025, he founded his own label, Sonic Squid Music.

He has worked with artists including Don Byron, Chris Potter, David Tronzo, Miguel ‘Anga’ Diaz, Najma Akthar, Anatol Steffanet, Eddy Martinez, Han Bennink, Ernst Reijseger, theater director Erik de Vroedt, and Istanbul’s genre-defying ensemble Islak Köpek. Press responses have described his work as uncompromising and driven: All About Jazz noted his role in reinvigorating the genre’s edge “Mark Alban Lotz is bringing sexy back into jazz!”, French outlet CultureJazz called him “This is a musician who makes no compromises!”, and Austria’s Concerto Magazine called him, “One of the flute’s most outstanding virtuosos”.

Lotz maintains an intense international schedule as soloist, bandleader, composer, producer, and educator, teaching at the Utrecht and Rotterdam Conservatories while initiating festivals and concert series. His most recent release, Freshta  (Berthold/Zennez Records), dedicated to the memory of Afghan women’s rights activist Freshta Kohistani, approaches music as a tool for reflection and change — reaffirming his position as a contemporary jazz soloist and composer who transcends borders while celebrating life through music. He currently develops new performative sound work from Zeist, the Netherlands.