Michael leads three distinct but interrelated lives. As a college professor, he holds a Ph.D. in education, and two Master´s degrees, in English and education respectively. He and his partner Kathleen are currently living in a house in the woods of the Poconos in Northeast Pennsylvania. His new CD, entitled OM/ShalOM (featuring woodwind legends Dave Liebman and Bennie Maupin), will be released this winter (2007).
Michael has also been active as an award-winning poet, writer, and jazz journalist, often writing liner notes and promotional material for such luminaries as Bennie Maupin, Bob Brookmeyer, Darek Oles, and Bob Florence. His work has been published in many literary journals, and he has authored three books of poetry and fiction, with a fourth on the way; and he taught creative writing and jazz aesthetics classes at Pasadena City College. He currently teaches writing at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
A prominent jazz musician, Michael has performed and recorded with a wide array of jazz artists, including Bob Brookmeyer, Bennie Maupin, David Liebman, Pharoah Sanders, the late Charlie Byrd, Don Menza, Lynn Arriale, Bobby Bradford, Phil Ranelin, Buddy Colette, Alan Broadbent, Bob Florence, Mike Melvoin, Theo Saunders, Bud Shank, John Patitucci, Karl Berger, Vinne Golia, and many others. He has also played with personalities as wildly diverse as The Rolling Stones, Cher, David Bowie, Shirley MacLaine, and Natalie Cole, to name a few.
In addition to his performance activities, Michael was awarded composition grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Percussive Arts Society. The former afforded him the opportunity to write a large ensemble piece called "Shapes and Visions" for the vibraphonist Karl Berger, which was performed at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.; and the latter gave him the opportunity to compose a solo work for drum set called "Downside-Up," which has been performed frequently at regional and national competitions, recitals, and festivals.
Michael is currently a member of the Bennie Maupin Ensemble and Dave Liebman's "Hometown Trio."
