If you don’t know Mark Rapp’s name, you’ve probably at least been to an event that he helped create.

A multifaceted, nationally-acclaimed musician, Rapp is a trumpet master, a composer and arranger, a bandleader and a first-call session player who’s appeared alongside Roy Hargrove, Dave Brubeck, Esperanza Spalding, The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman.

He's also one of the few artists who can say that he’s recorded with both Branford Marsalis of the legendary jazz family AND Darius Rucker, former Hootie & The Blowfish frontman turned country superstar.

Thursday, Aug. 15 at Chayz Lounge,  Rapp will be taking on another musical challenge: The iconic music of Motown Records. Leading his group, The Funktet, Rapp has prepared a show called “Motown Meets Jazz.” Working with talented local musicians like Rod Foster & Company, Rapp will funkify Motown hits from artists such as Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Rick James and The Temptations, and then, just for kicks, he’ll throw in hits and favorites by The Beatles, Tears for Fears, Madonna and Cannonball Adderley.

It's a fittingly expansive (and fun) concept for a show, which isn’t surprising for someone as multifaceted as Mark Rapp. He’s the founder of The ColaJazz Foundation, a 501c non-profit initiative to grow, elevate and support the jazz community in and around Columbia, S.C.

To accomplish this, Rapp and the ColaJazz Foundation have curated events (most notably the multi-act ColaJazz Festival), created educational programs, issued recordings and he’s even produced and released multiple compilation albums featuring over 20 local bandleaders and involving 30+ musicians. Oh, and he is also the co-creator and Artistic Director of the “Live in the Lobby” concert series at the Koger Center for the Arts.

In 2018, Rapp was named an Ambassador of Jazz for the State of South Carolina by the S.C. House of Representatives, a richly deserved accolade that salutes his massive contribution to the Midlands jazz scene.

And Rapp’s reach extends far beyond S.C. He's released eight of his own diverse recordings and appears as a sideman on a myriad of projects.

Rapp’s 2009 debut release, "Token Tales," earned him a spot as a “Top Emerging Trumpeter” in Downbeat magazine, after which he sold out the Blue Note in New York City and played at the famed Newport Jazz Festival.

He has performed in jazz clubs and festivals around the world from Croatia, Brazil, Austria, Switzerland and the USA, including back-to-back appearances at the 2017 and 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

So on Thursday, you’re not just getting a chance to hear Mark Rapp tear into an embarrassment of riches from the Motown catalog. You’re also getting a chance to see perhaps the most important jazz musician on our scene.