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
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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.

Orkestar MÉZÉ at the Bordello Bar!

Another killing MÉZÉ gig on Thursday, September 23rd...we've got some new tunes and are ready to groove! Here's a little endorsement from our hosts, Malabomba!

"On September 23rd MALABOMBA! orchestrates a peasant uprising! We’re proud to present the down and dirty proletarian sounds of ORKESTAR MÉZÉ at the Bordello Bar on Thursday, September 23. This ensemble features 10 hot dudes and 1 hot chick from five different countries, all united in their love of Balkan brass music and... funky rhythms that liberate the asses of the workers.

ORKESTAR MÉZÉ plays “peasant funk,” a musical goulash of their own creation. Bandleader Milen Kirov knows that the best music comes from the salt of the earth folks from all over the world, so he draws on the folk and pop music of his native Bulgaria and mixes it with Eastern European brass band music, American soul and a splash of low-down funk to create a uniquely danceable urban turbo-folk sound. When ORKESTAR MÉZÉ strikes up a crooked dance in their insane Boban Markovic-meets-the Meters style, it’s enough to make the peasants of the field and the peasants of the cubicle throw off the shackles of oppression and shake it!

MALABOMBA! beat-chefs DJ Jason Savvy and DJ Cat Hair will be on the decks all night, serving up their spicy blends of tasty international cuts for the dance floor. Balkan beats, Romany rock, Turkish garage, Soviet disco, Bollywood funk, and more... they've been slaving away in the backwater kitchens of the world cooking up mixes of the best music you've never heard and will be dishing it up it as hot as ever! In your face!"

Thursday September 23rd, 9 PM until last call

Bordello Bar, 901 E 1st St, LA 90012

$5 admission; FREE before 9:30 PM. *NEW* $5 drink specials until 10 PM!

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

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...

Tim Fischer Quartet in Santa Barbara 9/9/10

Sorry about the late notice folks, I've been busy with all manner of different activities the past week. I'm playing tomorrow night in Muddy Waters Cafe for the Santa Barbara New Music Series hosted by Colter Frazier. I'm performing in a group led by my good friend Tim Fischer, playing all his original music in a very spacious, agile group made up of Tim on guitar, myself on alto sax, Emilio Terranova on bass, and Andrew Lessman on drums. Here's a description of the group via Tim that I think nails it down pretty well:

"The Tim Fischer Quartet's sound is heavily dictated by the improvisations and interpretations of its members yet remains unified by Tim's original compositions, which are influenced as much by classical and world music as they are by the traditional jazz practice. The group's goal is to convert the standard jazz instrumentation of horn + rhythm section into a modern chamber group, where each member is allowed equal billing and contribution in shaping every performance."

Tim Fischer Quartet at Santa Barbara New Music Series
9/9/10
$8 for both groups (8pm Motoko Honda, 9pm Tim Fischer Quartet)
Muddy Waters Cafe

508 E. Haley St.

Santa Barbara, CA

Orkestar MÉZÉ at Club Good Hurt

Did you miss us at Rusty's? Did you see us at Rusty's and realize you needed MORE MÉZÉ? This band is getting better and better, tighter and funkier, every show, and the fun we all have playing definitely rubs off on the audience. Come out to Club Good Hurt in Santa Monica this Saturday, September 4th at 8:30pm to catch Orkestar MÉZÉ featuring a very special guest, Todor Kirov on the traditional Bulgarian gadulka. Todor Kirov is the father of Milen Kirov, MÉZÉ's own keyboardist/singer/lead peasant, and this is sure to be a night to remember. I used to play at Good Hurt a lot with Jazz Thunder, it's a really fun club with a great staff, free parking everywhere! Gig details below, I hope to see you there!

Orkestar MÉZÉ @ Club Good Hurt
Saturday, 9/4/10
8:30pm
$10
www.goodhurt.net

New Tune

Happy Thursday...

Started writing a new tune for my trio yesterday and actually finished it today. It's a happy, grooving, and slightly quirky tune with a lot of interesting rhythmic points. I am calling it "Rompus In The Pampas" for my dog Booner (who lives with my parents in Los Osos, CA), who loves to scratch his back by running around, over, and often through the pampas grass on his walks. The trio is resuming rehearsals tomorrow afternoon, so I'll have the opportunity to hear it right away.

Otherwise, I've been enjoying listening to some "Mingus Moves" this afternoon. I came across an amazing video of the Charles Mingus quintet in the studio with Eric Dolphy (flute and bass clarinet), Clifford Jordan (tenor sax), Jaki Byard (piano), and Dannie Richmond (drums) performing "Meditations On Integration". This piece is a superb example of Mingus' resourcefulness as a composer/orchestrator. With a pretty standard quintet line up (two horns and a rhythm section), Mingus acheives an enormous range of textures within this masterfully crafted piece. Not to mention Eric Dolphy is on fire...

The piece spans two videos:
Charles Mingus - Meditations On Integration (Part 1)
Charles Mingus - Meditations On Integration (Part 2)

Enjoy!

Back in action

Getting back in the swing of things after a fantastic tour with the Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see us play, who bought a CD, who hosted us, who helped in any way at all. We had appreciative crowds at every stop, and not one show could be called anything but a success. I was even lucky enough to hear Bob Mintzer play my arrangement of "On Green Dolphin Street". My hat is off to the Fatums; that a big band tour happened at all is impressive, much less an organized and successful one! I had a such a great time meeting and playing with such fun and accomplished young musicians, I'm really rooting for them to do it again next year.

Feeling antsy? Gotta vent some frustrations? Or are you just happy tomorrow is Friday? Come out to Rusty's Surf Ranch right on the pier in Santa Monica this Friday night to check out Orkestar MEZE, LA's Balkan funk band. We're headlining with some brand new tunes to groove on, and it's gonna be one big peasant party! There are a few bands before us, but if you get there early, make sure and tell them you're here to see MEZE.

Orkestar MEZE at Rusty's Surf Ranch
256 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401-3126
11:00pm
$7 gets you in ($12 if under 21, sorry)

Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra Tour Dates

Here's a rough tour date list for the tour I embark on in a matter of days. It will be with the Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra from Chicago, and I'm very excited to play with these great young players and hit some cool venues I've never played. If you are in town and ready for some big-band (or if you're not ready, whatever), come see us on tour!

Aug. 5th: Dizzy's Jazz Club (San Diego) --- 8pm, $15 ($10 students)
Aug. 6th: Day off
Aug. 7th: Travel and rehearsal in LA
Aug. 8th: Thousand Oaks Gardens of the World Summer Concert Series with guest artist Ira Nepus (Thousand Oaks) 5pm-8pm
Aug. 9th: Catalina's Jazz Club (LA) with BOB MINTZER (Grammy Award Winning Saxophonist & Composer) 8pm
Aug. 10th: SOHO Music Club (Santa Barbara)
Aug. 11th: Travel Day
Aug. 12th: NPR Radio Interview & In Studio Performance (Sacramento)
Aug. 13th: 24th Street Theatre CD Release Party (Sacramento)
Aug. 14th: San Jose Jazz Festival

I'll update the schedule as I get more specific details, and if you're on facebook, follow the tour here.

August

Gearing up for some fun times in August...

First, I'd like to thank the audience and the people at Liquid Zoo for a great time last weekend! I had a blast playing with Brandon Sherman, Derek Beach and John Shebalin, and the audience was one of the more receptive groups in recent memory. I feel that the average person is quite open to different and new types of music, but it is often a question of exposure to said styles. I hope to get back to the Liquid Zoo in Van Nuys soon and continue to spread the word of creative music.

If you didn't catch our set at Liquid Zoo (or couldn't get enough), the same quartet will be playing this Sunday evening, August 1st at the last Jazz and Improvisational Music Series at 2nd Street Jazz in Little Tokyo. Three bands from 9-midnight, one charge of $10 ($5 for a drink ticket, and $5 directly to the bands). Here is the info:

2nd Street Jazz
366 E 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Sunday, August 1st
9pm-12am
$10 gets you admission and a drink

In other news, mixing has been going fantastic for the upcoming trio album. Engineer John Aspinall and I are making speedy progress each meeting, and the sounds are incredible! The sound is pure, clean and raw, and places you right in front of the trio. More news as the project develops.

I will be travelling up and down California for the first two weeks of August with the Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra on their CD release tour. We are starting in San Diego at Dizzy's and going as far north as Sacramento, but Los Angelinos should keep their eyes open for our gig at Catalina Bar and Grill, as it will feature tenor legend Bob Mintzer sitting in! I will post all of the dates and venues here very soon.

Lastly, I am playing with the Alex Smith trio at the farmers market in Torrance this Saturday morning from 9am-1pm, for those in the south bay area. This is a special gig as one set will feature a brand new duo project my wife Ami Mull has put together with guitarist Joel Mankey. Alex will sit in on percussion on a few tunes, and they are gearing up for a performance at Cafe Metropol later in August. Check out some of their tunes HERE.