MK GROOVE ORCHESTRA

Syracuse native Michael Kammers has been a creative force in the Brooklyn underground music scene since he moved to New York City in 2001 to attend the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. While earning his BFA, Kammers studied with George Garzone, Jane Ira Bloom, Kirk Nurock, Robert Sadin, Bobby Sanabria, and Reggie Workman. His experiences studying at the New School and performing regularly in New York have given him the opportunity to perform and engage with a wide variety of musics that inform his creative voice, including traditional and free jazz, Afro-Cuban, funk, rock, Afrobeat, R+B, Reggae and more. Driven by a strong urge to create, Kammers founded the MK Groove Orchestra in 2002. Since that time, the orchestra has played regularly in New York City at venues including the Blue Note and Southpaw and traveled Upstate to play at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, the Syracuse Jazz in the Square Festival, and the Tralf Music Hall. Kammers also established the MK Groove Trio, a subset of the orchestra, and Abacus, and is a member of the Suite Unraveling. Kammers has released three albums (MK Groove Orchestra and Abacus) featuring almost exclusively his original compositions. Active as an educator as well as a bandleader, Kammers developed the MKGO Clinic in 2008. Designed to supplement the traditional jazz curriculum, the clinics introduce students to concepts pioneered by Steve Coleman, Ornette Coleman, Henry Threadgill, and Sun Ra. He teaches privately as well as in large groups. On top of leading his own projects and teaching Kammers has managed to perform, record and arrange horns for a wide range of artists, recent highlights include performances, tours and/or albums with: Akron/Family (Love Is Sax 2009, Set Em’ Wild, Set ‘Em Free 2010), The Heavy Pets (Self Titled, 2010 arranger/saxophone.), Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber, The Easy Star All Stars and Reverend Vince and his Love Choir to name but a few