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Michael O'Neill
A San Diego native, Michael began studying clarinet at age eight. He took up the saxophone at thirteen and performed in school bands and orchestras, later studying composition and arranging in college. After graduate school in Texas, he returned to the Bay Area and studied with the great Joe Henderson.
Michael’s has created several groups of outstanding musicians that feature his original music.. In addition, he has composed scores for documentaries, feature films and television for which he has a long list of credits.
Michael has performed and/or recorded with many jazz greats including Idris Muhammad, Joe Locke, Michael Wolff, Giacomo Gates, Eddie Fisher, Rodney Jones, Kim Nalley, Jackie Ryan, Tony Lindsay, Margie Baker, Akira Tana, Faye Carol, Brenda Boykin, Nicolas Bearde, Jeff Chambers, Rob Schneiderman, Mark Levine, Frank Jackson, Frank Martin, Larry Dunlap, Bobbi Norris, Peter Horvath, Matt Clark, Smith Dobson, Don Haas, Dave Matthews, Michael Bluestein, Omar Clay, Scott Morris and many others.
There are two major Michael O’Neill Quintet CDs, both featuring Kenny Washington’s great vocals, and one with special guest Joe Locke.
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Heat and Horn Engine: (Put Your) Trust in Love
by Nicholas F. Mondello
"(Put Your) Trust in Love" from Heat (a multi-artist recording source created in 1979 and led by Tom Saviano) and trumpeter Bill Dowling's “Horn Engine" is a throwback to the recordings of great male vocalists such as Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, and George Benson. It is a stellar effort. Rhythmically, the track falls into a hip, R+B double-time feel and hooks deep. Co-composers Bill Dowling, late of a national tour of “Tootsie," and multi-instrumentalist, Tom Saviano, former ...
read moreThe Michael O'Neill Quartet: And Then It Rained
by Dan McClenaghan
San Francisco area-based reedman Michael O'Neill, noted most prominently for his work with vocalist Kenny Washington, takes his artistry on a new tangent with And Then It Rained. The set features a top-tier Bay Area quartet which digs deep into a set of O'Neill originals. Recording-wise, this is new territory for O'Neill, who, in addition to his work with Washington and singer Tony Lindsay, writes music for corporate and industrial films, documentaries and television. Early in his career, ...
read moreMichael O'Neill & Kenny Washington: New Beginnings
by Dan Bilawsky
Multi-reedist Michael O'Neill gets top billing here, but there's little doubt that the star attraction is singer Kenny Washington, one of the most under-recognized vocal talents operating today. O'Neill, perhaps Washington's greatest supporter and promoter, doesn't hide that fact when discussing the music presented here: he notes that “the arrangements are unique settings, and Kenny's the jewel." Washington, a stunning talent who's appeared on record with O'Neill on more than one occasion, recorded and toured with vibraphonist ...
read moreMichael O'Neill Quintet: The Long and the Short of It
by Stephen Latessa
On The Long and the Short of It, the Bay Area-based Michael O'Neill Quintet has devised a unique role for featured singer Kenny Washington. Washington sings a number of standards in a fairly straightforward manner, but on the originals by O'Neill, he is essentially used as another horn, vocalizing the melody or harmony along with the horns of O'Neill and Steve Campos. After this initial statement, he takes his turn along with the other soloists. There is ample opportunity for ...
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Michael O'Neill
Instrument: Saxophone
Born: September 11, 1946
