Michael Wolff Heads to West Coast Concerts at Vitello's in Studio City

Acclaimed jazz pianist Michael Wolff continues his busy year of touring with a March 25th concert at Vitello's in Studio City, California. Wolff will be joined by the legendary Mike Clark on drums, by long-time band-mate John B. Williams on bass, and by renowned Bob Sheppard on saxophone. On April 15th, Wolff will return to Vitello's for another night of shows, this time joined by the world-famous Mark Isham on trumpet, Michael Barsimanto on drums, and John B. Williams on bass. Along with his achievements of Grammy, Emmy, and Clio awards, Isham has also received Academy, Grammy and Golden Globe nominations, and most recently received the ASCAP Henry Mancini award for Lifetime Achievement.

Michael Wolff AT VITELLO'S - MARCH 25TH & APRIL 15TH
Vitello's Jazz & Supper Club
4349 Tujunga Ave., Studio city, CA 91604
Tel: (818) 769-0905
Sets at 8pm & 10pm
Cover: $20
Tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/EventListings.action?orgId=79153
Club website: http://www.vitellosrestaurant.com/

Wolff recently followed a pair of sold-out concerts at Snug Harbor in New Orleans with over a dozen concerts in New York City - ranging from multiple shows with renowned saxophonist Alex Foster to a month-long weekend Residency at the Knickerbocker, during which Wolff featured a different trio line-up for each of his multiple weekend performances.

In a Village Voice 'Voice Choice' Critic's Pick, Jim Macnie described Wolff as "Well versed in the subtleties of r&b, the pianist flecks lots of his work with blues power."
http://www.villagevoice.com/events/michael-wolff-2389292/
Well versed in the subtleties of r&b, the pianist flecks lots of his work with blues power. He's often looking for new spins on the standard repertoire, though, so the nuances of his arrangements usually get the attention. His take on "If I Were a Bell" is just quirky enough to be refreshing, which should also be the case for this gig, which places jazz-funk maestro Mike Clark at the drums. Wolff likes to push a bit; his rhythm section will definitely push back.

Michael Wolff pays tribute to George Shearing via this thoughtful essay posted to JAZZTIMES.COM last week: http://jazztimes.com/articles/27207-remembering-george-shearing

Michael Wolff Colors his Jazz Piano with Shades of Blue

Michael Wolff's stock in trade is the jazz piano. But as the instructor for the R&B ensemble at The New School in New York, he required prospective students to play either B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone" or Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" during auditions. As the class progressed, students showcased everything from Otis Redding to Michelle N'degeocello.
"It makes me see how everything is connected," Wolff said this week. "With jazz, a lot of people get pretty far away from the blues. Which is fine. But we ought to remember where it really started out. Jazz is based on the blues."
Even the sophisticated harmonics of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," he notes, is based on a 12-bar blues. To that point, he's written music for his jazz trio to perform with orchestras that is clearly colored by the blues. And his sets of late have contained jazz arrangements of several blues songs - including "The Thrill Is Gone" - alongside jazz classics.

"I started looking at all these Coltrane tunes, Sonny Rollins and Miles (Davis) tunes, and going back to the real-blues blues tunes. It's all related, and it's fun to concentrate on that. I like mixing that in. I've always had the bluesy thing in my playing."

It will be evident Saturday, Nov. 13 when Wolff performs at Snug Harbor, backed by drummer Mike Clark, a longtime collaborator best known as a member of the Headhunters, plus local bassist Jim Singleton and saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr.

Wolff is well-versed in New Orleans. His mother grew up in the city, his father attended Tulane Medical School and he lived here briefly as a child. Even after his family moved away, he spent summers in New Orleans with his Aunt Nita and Uncle Sig. Along the way, he sat in with trumpeter Al Hirt's big band and immersed himself in the city's music.
At 19, he became a professional musician. He spent 14 years on the road with Cal Tjader, Cannonball Adderley and Sonny Rollins. During five years as singer Nancy Wilson's musical director, Wolff often logged two-week residencies at the old Fairmont Hotel's Blue Room. The likes of Muhammad Ali would show up at gigs.

Wolff spent his off hours at Tyler's on Magazine Street, hanging with and listening to Singleton, guitarist Steve Masakowski, drummer Johnny Vidacovich, singer Leigh "Little Queenie" Harris and saxophonist James Rivers. He eventually quit the road and, starting in 1989, worked as the musical director of "The Arsenio Hall Show" for its five-year run.

More recently, he's focused on his solo career, touring in Europe and at select jazz clubs in the United States. Wolff and his wife, actress Polly Draper, are also raising another generation of entertainers. Their now teenage sons, Nat and Alex, starred as young musicians in the Nickelodeon show "The Naked Brothers Band," in which Wolff also appeared. They have since moved on to fresh acting and musical projects.

Wolff's varied interests include working with trumpeter Franz Hackl to combine Austrian folk melodies with jazz chords. They plan to make an album of their collaboration this month, and tour with it next summer. Wolff will also record a live album with his trio in Europe this spring.
"I feel like that's the essence of my playing. In the studio, I get a little more self-conscious. It's best live. I just fling it out there."

The title track of his 2009 solo album, "Joe's Strut," draws on the influence of New Orleans. "I got to put a little of that Professor Longhair/James Booker stuff in there."

Back in the day, he saw both piano legends perform. Booker, especially, blew him away.

"I couldn't believe the guy. He was like a combination of Professor Longhair and McCoy Tyner. He played totally New Orleans style, but he could play so hip harmonically, and pentatonic, and really outside.

"What a mix that guy was. I thought he was really, really great. He was totally true to 'Junco Partner' and all that stuff, but then he would harmonically take it wherever he wanted to go."

That, Wolff says, "is kind of my approach. I love sophisticated harmony, and I love the bluesiness."
He'll likely flash plenty of both on Saturday at Snug Harbor, "one of the greatest jazz clubs out there." WitH Clark, Singleton and Harrison, the bluesiness "is in there. But everybody wants to push the envelope harmonically and rhythmically, and see where we're going to go.

"I don't know exactly what it will be like. We'll have the basic structure of the tune, play, and see where it goes. To me, that's the fun. I like to live in the moment, on the edge of my seat, where I don't know what's happening."

 

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