Michael Mull Octet

Michael Mull Octet
Showing posts with label Michael Mull Trio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Mull Trio. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Trio at Vitello's 2/16/14

In the midst of all this Michael Mull Octet madness, I'm pleased to take a quick detour this Sunday 2/16 to play a Trio set Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City at 8pm. This is a really nice venue overall; great sound, warm-vibey room, and tasty Italian food (I recommend especially the flat, crispy pizzas or desserts).

I had played at Vitello's a few times with the Trio and other groups around 2009, and more recently with Connor McElwain, and I'm excited bring in a new configuration of the Trio, specifically for this show. As usual, I'll be playing alto saxophone and bass clarinet, and will be joined by Cameron Hicks on drums. On Sunday we will be joined by tuba player Stefan Kac, covering the bass chair for Ben Shepherd. Stefan is an amazing player that will get you re-thinking the tuba.

Michael Mull Trio feat. Stefan Kac (tuba)
Sunday, February 16th
Upstairs at Vitello's
4349 Tujunga Ave, Studio City

8pm, one long set
$15 cover + 2 item minimum (food or drink), at the door or presale
All Ages
Valet parking available, or plenty in the surrounding neighborhoods
RSVP on Facebook

Come see us put it all together on Sunday night! If you haven't heard the Trio before, you can play the video below of my composition "Israfel", performed at Barclay's Coffee and Tea in Northridge.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Mahadev in Concert 6/22

I've had a great summer so far - got to experience Bjork at the Hollywood Bowl a couple weeks ago! Had a rip-snorting good time playing with my Trio last Saturday for the Blue Whale outdoor concert series, and very cool to play with amazing drummer Gene Coye for the first time. Sticking around after that to hear the Bennie Maupin trio (with Darek Oles and Tootie Heath) was icing on the trio cake...what a sound! Here's a nice shot of my trio having fun, with my bass clarinet nabbing background props.


Tomorrow night, Saturday 6/22, I'm performing at another outdoor concert series, this time in Thousand Oaks and with world music mash-up masters Mahadev. Check this facebook link for addresses, ticket info, and more. Show starts at 7pm at the beautiful Hillcrest Center for the Arts, right up the hill from The Oaks mall area.

Finally, I've jumped on the Twitter-wagon - follow me if you please @mmullmusic. I'll be updating there about shows and events, as well as keeping tabs on the progress of recording a couple different albums throughout the rest of the year, including one for my Octet (in the planning stages), and one for Orkestar MEZE. We have a fundraising campaign, please take a look and watch our video!

That's it for now, stay friendly here, on Facebook, and on Twitter for some great music coming down the tubes!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Michael Mull Trio + Gene Coye, Tempest Twins

Reached my 27th year on June 7th last week, and am ready to keep the ball rolling along with perpetually increasing musication! Orkestar MEZE played some super funky sets down in San Diego, the Michael Mull Octet is sounding incredible on some new music, and the Tempest Twins are officially launched on bandcamp and youtube! Get launched while you read the rest of the post - play the track below:


I'm excited to announce that I'll be playing a Michael Mull Trio gig at the Blue Whale's new outdoor series this Saturday, June 15th at 6:30pm! Shows have been taking place outside in the Weller Court area every Saturday and are ALL AGES and FREE. The Trio will feature a special guest this time around, the illustrious Gene Coye on drums! I saw Gene play shortly after I moved to LA and have been hoping to play with him since...come and see it go down if you are in the LA area. Did I mention it's FREE?! Bennie Maupin Trio is playing upstairs at the Whale after we play, so stick around!

And a shout-out: if you are in the Valley on Saturday the 15th, you might like to go to Barclay's in Northridge and catch Ami & The Marissa Calille Quartet at 7pm!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Two Trios @ Barclay's in Northridge 2/23/13

It was really fun to reunite with Ben and Cameron and do a trio set at the house concert a couple weeks ago - getting back into it with those guys is always easy, having logged some serious playing time together over the years. Here's a video of my arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Trinkle Tinkle" from the show:



This Friday, February 23rd, we are doing a set at Barclay's Coffee and Tea in Northridge, a great coffee spot with an excellent ongoing music series. I was there last Friday to catch Josh Nelson....woooooooooo doggie! On the 23rd we are splitting the bill with a new group led by Bryan McAllister, making a foray into the world of the organ trio. The group is brand new, but you can hear some of Bryan's previous material on this video:



There is no cover for the show, but we gratefully accept tips for the bands! Come and enjoy a delicious drink (tons of coffees, teas, juices) and support this great series!

Barclays Coffee and Tea Co.
8976 Tampa Ave, Northridge CA
No Cover
7pm - Bryan McAllister Trio
8pm - Michael Mull Trio
RSVP on Facebook

Monday, July 9, 2012

Trio & Mahadev This Weekend

I've got two fun and entirely different gigs coming up this weekend, come hear some live music! If you're on the San Fernando Valley side of things, come to Barclays Coffee and Tea in Northridge (on Tampa between Nordhoff and Parthenia) to hear one of my primary brainchildren, the Michael Mull Trio. Not a fancy name, but pretty fancy tunes... We're playing a free show, a couple sets of originals by yours truly, and there are delicious drinks to boot. Flyer coming soon...

Michael Mull Trio (hear us here and here and hear)
Michael Mull - alto/soprano sax, bass clarinet
Ben Shepherd - bass
Cameron Hicks - drums

@ Barclays Coffee and Tea
8976 Tampa Ave, Northridge 91324
FREE show, donations welcome/CDs for sale
7-9pm, two sets


If you're on the Hollywood/LA side of things, check out the world/fusion/Indo/Balkan adventure known as Mahadev at the Dancing Shiva yoga studio. They're having a big "India Night" and Mahadev's music is being featured around 6pm in the greater event schedule to kick things off. Sounds like a party...info on the flyer below, and below that too, in case it's too small to read! You can listen to/stream/buy Mahadev's album here.


@Dancing Shiva
7466 Beverly Blvd, LA 90036
6pm for Mahadev, don't be late!
Free, donations appreciated/CDs for sale

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Guns Don't Kill People

I'm excited to share this trailer for the upcoming film, Guns Don't Kill People. Written and directed by SoCal denizen Ivan Ehlers of the Movie Addicts Club, this looks to be a silly/dark comedy about a couple of hitmen who become targets themselves and have to come up with an elaborate scheme to get out of trouble. The soundtrack will feature several cuts from my trio album, Formation, two of which are used on the trailer below! I'll update about screenings of the film as I know, and you can "like" and follow along on facebook as well. Enjoy...


Guns Don't Kill People - Trailer from Ivan Ehlers on Vimeo.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Pictures from Boo Boo Records

Here are a few pictures from our show at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo on Friday 9/9/11. Following an awesome set the night before at the Santa Barbara New Music Series (with Cameron Hicks on drums), we swapped out Cameron for Mike Lockwood on the drums and played another rocking set in Boo Boo's great vinyl room. Thanks to the fantastic audiences at both gigs, hope to see you all again soon!




Sunday, September 4, 2011

Up North Next Week

A couple of gigs next week for you northern-dwelling-denizens:

Thursday 9/8/11
Michael Mull Trio @ Santa Barbara New Music Series
Muddy Waters Cafe
805 E Haley St.
Santa Barbara 93101

$8 cover (it all goes to the bands)
9:00pm - Michael Mull Trio
8:00pm - Casey Anderson/Casey Butler/Josh Gerowitz/Louis Lopez


Saxophonist Colter Frazier has been hosting this music series since 2006, giving hundreds of talented artists a supportive place to play in beautiful Santa Barbara. I have been lucky to play here a couple of times before with Tim Fischer and Mahadev, and am excited to bring my trio in for an energetic set of originals from my Formation album. The gig will feature Ben Shepherd on bass and Cameron Hicks on drums.


Friday 9/9/11
Michael Mull Trio @ Boo Boo Records
Boo Boo Records
978 Monterey St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401


5:30pm - one set only
No cover, please check out a CD!


This is a special gig for me as it is technically my first public performance in my home town since I moved to the LA area in 2006. Further, Boo Boo Records was a haven for me growing up, and the place that provided me with a huge chunk of my music collection. I would love to fill the place up and play for you all, so please come by to check it out. This gig features my trio with Ben Shepherd on bass and Mike Lockwood sitting in on drums.


.........ORKESTAR MEZE debut album is almost here......get ready for the PEASANT FUNK........

Thursday, March 3, 2011

FORMATION Digital Release

I'm pleased to announce the digital release of my first album, "Formation". It is now available on CDbaby, Digstation, and iTunes, and soon will be available on various other sites like AmazonMP3, eMusic, and more.

If you would like a physical copy of the album, your best bet will probably be to meet up with me or come out to a gig --- no shipping costs! Alternatively, CD's can be purchased from CDbaby, and the album can be purchased digitally (in mp3 format) from CDbaby, Digstation, and iTunes. I would encourage digital customers to use Digstation, as I get the best cut from them! Links below:

Formation on CDbaby (CD/mp3)

Formation on Digstation (mp3)

Formation on iTunes (mp3)


The Feb. 17th CD release party at the Blue Whale was a great success! Many, many thanks to those who made it out and those who were there in spirit; we had an incredible time playing for you all, and the energy in the room was inspiring. Throughout our two sets, we played every tune off of "Formation" with a few new ones thrown in the mix; with your support and a little luck, I see these tunes on the next Michael Mull Trio album!

Thanks again to Ben Shepherd and Cameron Hicks for playing the hell out of my music, and to Joon Lee at the Blue Whale for having us. My parents even made it down from San Luis Obispo, and Ben's folks all the way from Melbourne! Let's take this positive thang and keep it going...keep your eyes here for more coming up very soon (Santa Barbara next week!).

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

CD Release Party + Website Launch

Prepare yourselves for the official release concert for my first album, "Formation"! Tomorrow night's the night, and Ben, Cameron and I are getting hyped up to play some great music for you all. CD's will be on sale for the first time anywhere, and for an extremely discounted price. Check out the details below:

Michael Mull Trio "Formation" CD Release Party
8:30pm-midnight
$10 cover, no minimum

The Blue Whale

123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301
Los Angeles, CA
 
 
In other exciting Mull-news, I'm officially launching www.michaelmull.com with the posting of this blog. Take a look and enjoy! "Formation" will be available digitally sometime next week (and physically on CDbaby.com), so if you can't make it to the CD release party, check back on my site or here on the blog for details and links. Over the coming months, I will be adding more and more features to michaelmull.com, including more audio and a "store" where you can purchase scores and parts for some of my original music.

Whew! Can't wait to play tomorrow night and share this project with all of you. Hope to see you at the Blue Whale!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Update

It's been a while since my last post and I neglected to post a few gigs that have happened since then. It's been an extremely busy time getting the last stages of the "Formation" record completed (compounded by many other factors including a fried hard-drive), but it makes me that much more excited for the release party February 17th at the Blue Whale. If you're facebooking around, you can check out the event here.

"Formation" CD Release Party
Thursday, February 17th
8:30pm
The Blue Whale
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301 (Park in the structure w/ a yellow "P" sign off of 2nd street and take the elevator up)

$10 gets you in, and I'll be selling fresh copies of the new album at this gig for a discounted price. Shortly after the release party, the album will be available digitally through CDbaby, Diggstation, and more (details as I get them).


Last week I played two nights in a row at Cafe Roma in Beverly Hills. First with a new group led by trumpeter Phil Fiorio, with trumpet/flugelhorn, bass clarinet, marimba, drums and bass. We had a great time playing Phil's latest compositions, one of my own, and some standards. I'm looking forward to more gigs with this open, "woody" sounding group. The second gig was with Juanma Trujillo's latest quartet formation: Juanma on guitar, Emilio Terranova on bass, Cameron Hicks on drums, and myself on saxophones. We had tons of music prepared and rolled out an eclectic mix of originals and standards. Both of these groups have provided me with new musical challenges, something I always look forward to.

Post-CD release, I have a smattering of fun performances coming up, including Orkestar MEZE, Mahadev, some recitals, and my trio in Santa Barbara. Come back often for details and updates, and I hope to see many of your smiling faces on February 17th!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Formation Album Cover

May I present the cover artwork for my trio's first album, "Formation".


Artwork and design is all done by Derek Schultz (www.staralchemy.org). Come get your copy at our CD Release Party at the Blue Whale on February 17th, 2011!

Friday, January 14, 2011

FORMATION

Great news people!

I'm making leaps and bounds toward releasing my trio album. First of all, I named it: FORMATION. The artwork is being finished up and looks incredible so far, I'll be posting a preview of the cover very soon, so watch for it.

Secondly, I'm honored and excited to announce that our CD release party will take place at the Blue Whale on Thursday, February 17th. The Blue Whale is quickly becoming "the place" for great live jazz; classy but laid-back atmosphere, nice bar with awesome bartenders, resident baby grand piano and drumkit, no pesky food or drink minimums, and a true focus on the music. It's a no-hassle spot where people go to listen, and they continue to host tons of killer groups from LA and beyond. I'm grateful that my first opportunity to play at the Blue Whale will be for such a momentous occasion in my life.

More updates, previews, and details soon, make sure to check back often. Mark those calendars for February 17th!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Trio Sampler

Good evening, hope you are all enjoying the rest of Turkey-weekend. I'm pleased to announce that several hours work has yielded me a larger "web-presence" in the form of youtube videos and a reverbnation page, as well as a sampler track for my upcoming debut album with my trio. Let the links begin.

First, the SAMPLER! I'm excited to give you all a small taste of each track off the upcoming album, due for release January 2011. You can view it in video form HERE, or just listen (with the option of downloading) at reverbnation.com/michaelmull. Spread the word, if you please, and keep your eyes right here for a CD release show...

Secondly, I gave our trio facebook page a facelift, including cross-posted videos from a new youtube account with some older (but delicious) trio footage.

Finally, I am sick of myspace. Slow, unclear, not something I want to burden listeners with any longer. To help me make the switch to a much slicker, detailed, and intuitive site, visit reverbnation.com/michaelmull and take a listen to the sampler track, look around the site if you haven't been before (some great features for actually listening to music, imagine), and become a fan if you so desire.

After all this web-stuff, I'm hoping to post a LIVE trio gig soon; don't go far, and enjoy the new media!


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Keeping Busy (bite-sized news)

Happy Saturday evening...I'm taking this one off and hanging at home! Checking out some music by Goran Bregovic in preparation for the upcoming Orkestar MEZE Night of Peasantgiving! We will be triumphantly returning to Rusty's in Santa Monica on Friday, November 26th (the night after Thanksgiving), to "tvist" and boogie peasant style. Come work off some of that turkey with some Balkan Gypsy Funk! Details coming soon...

Another event earlier next week: one of my favorite bands, Chord Four, will be returning to LA and polishing off their CD release tour with a live recording session at California Institute of the Arts. This is going to take place Monday night, November 22nd, at 11pm in the Roy O. Disney Hall on campus. Very inexpensive (FREE), very musical, and you can be a part of the next record just by being there and showing your enthusiasm! I'll be posting a review of their new album soon (something I'll try to do pretty regularly from now on).

Finally had the first rehearsal today with my new octet, and I couldn't be happier. I've got a fantastic group of musicians, and I can tell by the intense progress we made in one short rehearsal that we'll be ready to perform early next year. I've got to write some more music!

Artwork for the Michael Mull Trio album featuring Ben Shepherd and Cameron Hicks is off to an amazing start, thanks to my artistic cohort and long-time friend, Derek Schultz. By the way, we had an awesome time playing for the Ludes and Lullabies music series on Monday, what a fun crowd and great place to hang! We'll defnitely be back.

I also have a couple of gigs coming up near the end of November/beginning of December with a group of fellow-former CalArtians, guitarist Dave Cipriani, percussionist Aaron Chavez, and guitarist/bassist/saw-player etc. Eric Klerks. It will be a mix of Indian and Eastern-European traditional songs and inspired original tunes, at the Garter in Venice Nov. 29th and Peace Yoga Studio downtown Dec. 3rd. Again, details to come later.

Have a great Thanksgiving week everyone, I'll post details for the MEZE gig on Monday or Tuesday, and I'll see you there!!!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Ludes & Lullabies

Trio gig tomorrow night at the Ludes and Lullabies acoustic music series. Check it out on Facebook. I was checking out the Garter's website, and this place has a great look, I may be there a bit early for a drink. The set is late, I know, but no cover and you know what's even better? Seeing my trio.

Me - Saxes/Bass Clarinet, Ben Shepherd - Bass, Cameron Hicks - Drums.

The Garter
2536 Lincoln Blvd.
Venice, CA (map)

Monday, November 15th
11pm
NO COVER
...but it is a bar, so 21+ only, sorry

Friday, November 5, 2010

A Couple Trio Sets + Chord Four

It's been a bit since I've posted, so we'll get caught up here.

I have a couple trio gigs coming up, the first tomorrow morning (November 6th 10-11am) to open the Granada Hills Charter High School Community Festival, celebrating the school's 50th anniversary. Live music, entertainment, food all day Saturday and Sunday. Schedule, directions and details can be found HERE. The second gig will be for a new eclectic, acoustic music series called Ludes and Lullabies at the Garter in Venice, CA. It will take place around 11pm on Monday night, November 15th, more details to be posted soon. Both of these gigs will be with bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Cameron Hicks, and we're excited to be playing some more as the album release gets closer and closer!

If you go to one event next week, make it Chord Four at the Industry Cafe and Jazz in Culver City. This is one of my all-time favorite bands, and I'm lucky to know them and have played with them all. Chord Four is kicking off an album release tour on Wednesday, November 10th at 7:30pm, and with their trumpeter Brandon Sherman now a New Jersey resident, opportunities to see them are to be taken advantage of. Industry Cafe boasts some amazing Ethiopian cuisine and a laid-back atmosphere, so come out for some enlightening music and grab a copy of what I anticipate will be an amazing album.

Aside from that, I've finished my first composition for my new octet, entitled "The People Who Raised Us", and I'm looking forward to our first rehearsal in a couple of weeks. I already feel the "stretch" writing for this group; this first piece was a unique challenge orchestrationally (getting used to this new instrumentation) as well as artistically, as I am taking particular care to address some personal aesthetics I'd like to manifest in the octet's music and group sound. I'm so excited to get this thing rolling, and the debut trio album (still unnamed) is slated for a January 2011 release --- a lot to look forward to.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

CAP Show and More

The "IN" show at Complete Actors Place is coming up on Friday, Oct. 1st. The three-hour show/hang includes a short set by my trio with Ben Shepherd and Cameron Hicks, as well as a complimentary bar and snacks. Contact me for presale tickets ($5 less than at the door).

Imagine Nation Entertainment presents: The IN Inaugural Show
Friday, October 1st, 8-11pm
Open Bar 7:30-9pm
$20 presale ($25 at the door)

Complete Actor's Place
13752 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-3067
(818) 990-2001
----------

In other Michael news, the Orkestar MÉZÉ gig at Bordello Bar was amazing! Such an energetic, dancing, and PEASANT crowd! Thanks to Malabomba for putting the show together, can't wait to return and rock it again.

Making baby steps toward finishing the album; with some great input from my wife, I have managed to finalize the order of the pieces for the trio album. Normally, putting together a set list is just short of agonizing for me, so I knew this was going to be tough. To be fair to myself, however, I feel this collection of tunes was particularly difficult to arrange in a flowing and pleasing (but still interesting) order. I'll be going back to the studio one last time now to finalize the tracks, including the time between the end of one track to the beginning of the next.

Although I am getting a little sick of hearing myself so many times, Ben and Cameron sound so solid and energetic on the recordings, and I am so excited to put this thing out! In the meantime, I've been scheming about starting up an octet to flex my larger-ensemble-composing-and-arranging muscles (which haven't been flexed very often in the past couple of years). I'm still solidifying the instrumentation and direction in my mind, but I'm thinking layered, textural, rhythmic, spacious, with a lot of room to breathe --- I'll keep you posted.

Goodnight for now...jamming out to my old metal friends Darkane.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Show at CAP, 10/1/10

I wanted to let you all know about an exciting new show on October 1st that my trio (Ben Shepherd, bass; Cameron Hicks, drums) will be taking part in. This will be the first show put on by Imagine Nation Entertainment, a new entertainment company that is trying to, in the words of my contact Kelly, "put on shows that eliminate everything that sucks about shows." Following this philosophy, it will be at the Complete Actor's Place in Sherman Oaks, an interesting venue that doesn't follow the typical club or bar formula. For a $20 ticket ($25 at the door), patrons enjoy a 3-hour show of non-stop entertainment, music, drama, and comedy, facilitated by the next act setting up to the side while the others are performing. Included in that ticket price is an open bar for an hour and a half, and some snacks and finger foods; for what you would pay for a drink/food minimum at most "high-end" LA clubs, you get the whole deal.

A website with more detailed info is to launch soon, but you can preview it here for now, and follow on facebook here. If you want to buy tickets, contact me and I will make sure to get them to you.

Imagine Nation Entertainment presents: The IN Inaugural Show
Friday, October 1st, 8-11pm
Open Bar 7:30-9pm
$20 presale ($25 at the door)

Complete Actor's Place
13752 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-3067
(818) 990-2001

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Listening and Looking Ahead

Good afternoon, music fans.

I'm pleased to be listening to freshly mixed and mastered tracks of the Michael Mull Trio at home right now. Over the next week, I'll be listening to them on as many sound systems as I can, to note any last adjustments that need to be made. While I do this, I'll also be working on an effective order for the songs to appear on the album, as well as naming one composition we recorded that is currently untitled.

I have to say, I am incredibly excited to move forward on this project. Engineer John Aspinall has done an impressive job on both the mixing and mastering of this material, and I am going to be very proud to officially debut my playing and writing, as well as showcase my band and John's talents, with this project. The recordings really sound and feel like a live performance; there is a rawness and front-loaded energy apparent in each track, and I feel it is representative of the trio's group sound. It sounds real.

Next up, we will be shooting photos for use on the album and other media, and I'll be dropping the recordings off for artist Derek Schultz to start perusing and developing some album artwork. More updates as they come...