Origin Story (part 1)
When I was in high school, my best buddy and I were in a music theory class. We both had that stuff down cold, and the class was right after lunch, so we often took an extra long lunch and cut class. Towards the end of the year, our teacher informed us that, because of all the absences, there was a good chance we were not going to pass that theory class. We were horrified, then terrified, then petrified. But he gave us an out… If we wrote some arrangements for the jazz band for the upcoming talent show, he would forgive us our trespasses. We took the deal, and so began my career as a composer for large jazz ensembles.
In college, I often wrote for our jazz ensemble, and won several “Outstanding Student Composer” awards at festivals. It was really exhilarating, staying up all night copying parts, bringing them into rehearsal, hearing what worked and what did not. In my senior year, a local jazz singer who had a connection with the Airmen Of Note asked me to write two charts for the band and her to record, at the iconic Capitol Records studio in L.A. It’s one thing to hear your college band play your music, but THAT experience was life-changing!
After graduating with my degree in composition, I somehow ended up writing music… LOTS of music… for TV commercials. Not so rewarding musically, but I did learn how to work efficiently, direct musicians in a studio setting, deal with “creative personalities”, schmooze, and how producers got “that” sound. Looking back, it was a great training ground.
When I became Director of Jazz Studies at Fresno City College, all sorts of doors seemed to open. Many of my friends that played in my recording sessions also directed jazz bands, and I was always willing and able to write charts for them. When they would perform this charts at festivals, the word spread, and before I knew it I had titles published by major publishers like Kendor, Alfred, UNC Jazz Press, eJazzlines, and more. Between my teaching, playing gigs and studio sessions, writing for the publishers and doing commissions, I was a very busy (and happy!) guy.
Farther
While still at FCC, I founded the Jazz Composers Orchestra, which included the top pros and jazz educators in Central California. With this group, I could set my compositional sights much higher. A dear friend, Paul Shaghoian, was all set to step into the lead trumpet chair of this new ensemble. Tragically, he passed away suddenly a few months before the band met for the first time. Paul was a very boisterous guy. One of his favorite sayings was “Don’t go there!”, which sometimes got shortened to simply “there.” My piece “Farther (still)” is dedicated to Paul’s memory. He went farther than “there”, and his influence is still felt by his former student (and now, their students.)
Much of the music on the Farther (still) project was originally performed by the JCO. I directed and composed for this ensemble for 14 years, and after retiring, continued to play guitar. My musical family had always encouraged my to record my “adult” compositions; I had the time to pursue it now, and tons of post-pandemic musical energy to channel. The tipping point was a conversation with my friend George Stone, a brilliant composer, player, and recording engineer. “Mike”, he said, “You HAVE to do this. You HAVE to get this music out there. Here’s how we can make it work.”
And so we did. I went through many of my pieces to find the nine that you’ll hear on Farther (still.) During my time at FCC, I brought many of my favorite jazz artists to our campus for concerts, festivals and master classes. I’d often compose with their sound in my mind. When I asked if they’d consider playing on the album, everyone said “YES!”
Origin Story (part 2)
After many months of pre-production, tracking, mixing, and editing, the project was complete. I was planning on self-releasing, but I ran into my friend Ben Boone at a concert. Ben records for Origin Records, and I really like the aesthetic of the label a lot. I asked Ben if he’d send some tracks to Origin Records head John Bishop. I was ecstatic when John said yes. Knowing that this music, the brilliant performances, and the stellar production will be available everywhere is mind-blowing. I appreciate everyone’s contributions more than I can say.
Click here to see an overview of Farther (still).
Click here to see the Origin Records release info for Farther (still).
