Michael Wolff

Michael Wolff is a genuine hipster -- a Manhattan-based family man and internationally acclaimed pianist-composer-bandleader who returns to his roots with the release of his eleventh album, 'jazz, JAZZ, jazz'. This soulful, instrumental collection is everything fans have come to embrace in Wolff's virtuoso jazz piano playing.

A baby boomer in his prime, Wolff is renown for his old school jazz roots, melodically fresh and rhythmically compelling multi-keyboard style, and ever-expanding media presence. A New Orleans native who’s father taught him blues on piano before he began classical lessons at age eight, Michael also grew up in Memphis and Berkeley, California, getting his first significant professional gig when he was 19 from Latin jazz vibist Cal Tjader. He made his recording debut with Cannonball Adderley’s band in 1975, and has worked extensively with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Christian McBride and others including his late friend Warren Zevon and singer Nancy Wilson, for whom he wrote orchestral arrangements and conducted more than 25 major symphony orchestras during world-wide tours. Wolff’s own band Impure Thoughts, launched in 2000, is an infectious improvising ensemble, richly percussive thanks to Indian tabla player Badal Roy, drummer Mike (Headhunters) Clark and electric bassist John B. Williams (on his new Trio CD, Wolff is joined by Williams and drummer Victor Jones.) Wolff’s recent performances include an Impure Thoughts concert at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms and a trip to the British Virgin Isles. He tours the U.S. regularly, and will perform a series of Trio dates in support of 'jazz, JAZZ, jazz'.

'jazz, JAZZ, jazz' is a nine-song collection of standards, including “My Funny Valentine,” “Cry Me A River,” “Autumn Leaves” and more. The tracks deliver previously unreleased performances by the Michael Wolff Trio. Wolff comments: “'jazz, JAZZ, jazz' represents what I love best about making Jazz -- playing wonderful, evocative material on the spot with great musical collaborators -- unplanned, unrehearsed, by the seat-of-the-pants. The music led us; we didn’t lead the music. All we had to do was get out of the way and play...”

“This music was recorded in 2001, right after my band, Impure Thoughts had completed recording all the music for our CD, 'Intoxicate'. We finished early, and we had an additional full day booked at the studio. I asked Victor and John B. to come back and record, just to have some fun. The sound was already the way we wanted since we’d been recording in that studio for the previous four days.”

“So, we sat down, and picked these nine tunes. They are all tunes that we all knew, and that we had all played in the past. We had no plan, we just hit it - one, two, three, go, as we used to say in Cannonball’s band...” we didn’t have anything to think about except the music, the group’s interaction and what we were feeling and hearing in that moment. The three of us had played together for years, and this was an opportunity to just enjoy making music together. Fortunately, we were able to capture it in the studio under such pristine aural conditions.”

Wolff’s repertoire and his manner of interpreting it reveals a lot about his underlying aesthetic and broadly encompassing strategy. Of the upcoming 'jazz, JAZZ, jazz,' critic Howard Mandel has already praised: “Michael Wolff's music just gets better and better -- his straight-ahead piano trio album, following his crooner-at-the-keyboard success ‘Love and Destruction,’ interprets choice standards by Miles, Dizzy, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, et al. with elegance, energy and nuance that establishes him in the first rank of urbane jazz pianists. The secrets he discovers in these familiar selections makes them, and us, feel a little more sophisticated. And what simpatico support from John B. Williams and Victor Jones!” Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor of AllAboutJazz-New York, raved: “Without a doubt one of the strongest piano trio CDs I've heard all year... A stimulating listen from beginning to end...” After previewing Wolff’s upcoming CD, jazz critic Bob Karlovits of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review commented: “Once again, Michael kicks ass.”

'jazz, JAZZ, jazz', Wolff's second release on Wrong Records, will be sold digitally via itunes, on his website and other downloadable formats. A limited run of CDs will be available for purchase at live shows and via www.MichaelWolff.com. Wolff's recently-revamped website, by Scott Design, has won a Silver ADDY Award in the 'Consumer Website' category of the Silicon Valley ADDY Awards competition.

On May 16, 2007, at ceremonies in Los Angeles, Michael Wolff, along with sons Nat and Alex, each received the BMI Film and TV Award for their contributions to the music on “The Naked Brothers Band” TV Show. In November of 2007, ESC Records in Germany will release, internationally, 'Pandora's Box'--a compilation of two of his jazz CDs, 'Impure Thoughts' and 'Intoxicate'.

Wolff's growing corpus of movie soundtracks includes “Dark Angel” and “The Tic Code” (2000), a feature for actor-dancer Gregory Hines, that was semi-autobiographical in its depiction of the Tourette’s Syndrome with which Wolff copes. His five-and-a-half year stint as musical director of the “Arsenio Hall Show” heightened his visibility and gave him the occasion to meet his wife, actress and writer/director Polly Draper. He is producer, and Draper writer-director of the smash hit Nickelodeon cable TV series “The Naked Brothers Band,” starring their sons Nat, 12, and Alex, nine (Wolff appears regularly as the boys’ “hapless, accordion-playing dad”), and he produced his first music video for 2006's 'Love and Destruction’s' plaintive “Underwater,” shooting on location in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

Described as a “Renaissance Man” by Miami New Times, Wolff won praise for his surprising CD 'Love and Destruction,' his first to feature vocals on all songs. Add to that his virtuoso piano playing, his amalgam of rock-jazz and his World music-inspired live performances, and you have the makings of a multi-faceted artist, unafraid of labels and boundaries. In fact, The New York Times praised Wolff as “A pianist and vocalist with a style both global and contemporary.” “It’s not a sudden departure,” Wolff says of his video efforts, as well as his affectively husky and hushed singing on 'Love and Destruction'. “I’m making developmental steps. I’ve had some interesting years doing a lot of different things, and that was where I arrived.” Wolff's late night, blue light singing on the CD brought new cool to an inspired selection of rock/pop classics as well as his own tunes about the well-lived life, now. JazzTimes Magazine raved that Michael Wolff is “one of the most innovative and dynamic pianists of his generation.”

“Wolff proves himself an exceptionally astute vocal stylist. His sound, a rock-jazz hybrid that exists somewhere in the vast expanse between Donald Fagen and Mark Murphy, is at once as distinctly powerful and as cunningly seductive as his playing.” At radio, Wolff generated airplay on Acoustic Café and other key outlets. Starbucks put four tracks in rotation, in 5000 locations nationwide.

“I’m not living in the past, musically...” I still have some of that ‘60s mentality, wanting to change the world and the music. But I think I’ve bridged the divide between needing to be different or revolutionary and also wanting to express beauty, serenity.”

“I don’t have a single disposition, I’m a real mix. The only thing I’d like to be known as is someone who keeps being creative.

“I try to go by the heart. I know the intellectual stuff, but how the music feels is what matters first of all. I want it to always be real. I don’t compromise anything on purpose. I’m happy to do my records independently, make my own mistakes or successes. With ‘Love and Destruction’ I wrapped up a lot of my talents in one package, intending them to be powerful together, at once. With 'jazz, JAZZ, jazz', we just hit it - one, two, three, go. I’ve given up on trying to be hip. I’m just being myself.” Which is the hippest state of all. Show less

Michael Wolff: Live at Vitellos

Read "Live at Vitellos" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 1, 2021

As time stretches the fabric of reality, what with venues closed or operating under incredibly restrictive mandates since March of 2020, it's starting to feel like it's been a decade since we've been able to gather in the quiets of a club to take in a rapturous set of music. So it's only fitting that this ten-year-old gem should drop into the world at this juncture, giving pause to bemoan what's been lost and appreciate a music found.

Album Review

Tony Adamo: Was Out Jazz Zone Mad

Read "Was Out Jazz Zone Mad" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
January 27, 2019

The translation of “Adam" from Hebrew--from which the surname Adamo springs--means from the “ground" or “soil." It also derives from the Hebrew word for red, a la “red clay." Perhaps that is why any work from Tony Adamo is rare earth--gritty, and flaming crimson. Was Out Jazz Zone Mad Adamo's latest, his first for Ropeadope, is all of those things and more.Adamo is the Heavyweight Champion of “hipspokenword," wherein lingo meets vocalizing at the corner of jazz and ...

Album Review

Tony Adamo: Was Out Jazz Zone Mad

Read "Was Out Jazz Zone Mad" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki

by Chris M. Slawecki
January 15, 2019

Some African cultures preserved their history not by the written but by the spoken word, kept by oral cultural historians known as griots. On Was Out Jazz Zone Mad, vocalist Tony Adamo aspires to serve in this same role, as a verbal historian of both official and unofficial African-American jazz and blues culture. This type of jazz jive might wear quickly thin but Adamo writes about jazz and jazz musicians with such detailed intimacy and vision that his words snap, ...

Album Review

Michael Wolff: Swirl

Read "Swirl" reviewed by Peter J. Hoetjes

by Peter J. Hoetjes
January 1, 2019

"This new album is the culmination of my transformation after being to the brink and back," states Michael Wolff. At one point during 2015, Wolff, then deep into his four-year battle with a rare form of cancer, fell comatose. His prognosis left little hope yet, with a stubborn willpower, the pianist fought off the disease. After months of physical and mental rehabilitation, he was ready to approach music again with a new trio. This trio would ...

Live Review

Michael Wolff: Half Moon Bay, CA, September 23, 2012

by Bill Leikam
October 20, 2012

Michael WolffTribute to Cal TjaderDouglas Beach HouseHalf Moon Bay, CASeptember 23, 2012Early in the week prior to this performance, the Douglas Beach House was already nearly sold out and yet, when the doors opened that Sunday afternoon, people still clamored to get in to hear some of vibraphonist Cal Tjader's original band members--one of whom was Michael Wolff, musical director for the show and a unique pianist.Wolff said, “I met Cal ...

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Interview

Michael Wolff: The Art of Communication

by Todd S. Jenkins
November 8, 2007

The idea of music as communication is as old as music itself, and has become just about as clichéd as some of its referents. Igor Stravinsky once opined that music was powerless to communicate anything. And, truth be told, the number of active instrumentalists who can successfully communicate thoughts, feelings, concepts and dogmas without words is significantly smaller than the number of those who believe they can. Even many vocalists and lyricists aren't as adept at getting things across as ...

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Multiple Reviews

Michael Wolff: Impure Thoughts On Hold

by Todd S. Jenkins
September 3, 2007

Pianist Michael Wolff has some of the most expansive vision of anyone working in jazz today. Born in the California High Desert, raised in New Orleans and now making his home in Manhattan, the well-traveled, big-eared Wolff is never short on surprises for his listeners. With his dazzling Impure Thoughts ensemble on hiatus, Wolff's two current albums up the ante beyond that band's extraordinary work.

Michael Wolff Jazz, Jazz, Jazz Wrong Records 2007

Recording

Pianist Michael Wolff Guests with Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and Drummer Mike Clark on Evocative Tribute Album, 'Letter to Bill Evans'

Source: Lydia Liebman Promotions
March 9, 2024

For their seventh outing together as a close-knit, collaborative rhythm tandem, bassist Leon Lee Dorsey and drummer Mike Clark tapped pianist Michael Wolff as third man in their ongoing trio adventures. Wolff, who had previously appeared with Dorsey and Clark on 2020’s Play Sgt. Pepper, was indeed the perfect choice to complete the triumvirate on this heartfelt tribute to the late, great pianist-composer known for his contributions to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue as well as his hugely influential trio ...
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Event

Zinc Bar's Fall And Winter Jazz Piano Series Takes Center Stage In Greenwich Village

Source: Charles Carlini Presents
October 9, 2023

Get ready for a soul-stirring journey through the world of jazz piano as Zinc Bar, the legendary venue nestled at 82 West 3rd Street in the heart of Greenwich Village, announces its highly anticipated Fall and Winter Jazz Piano Series. Presented by impresario Charles Carlini of Charles Carlini Presents, this exceptional series will showcase some of the most acclaimed jazz pianists, promising a captivating Tuesday evening experience that will leave you spellbound. Prepare to be mesmerized by a stellar lineup ...
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Recording

Pianist Michael Wolff, Drummer Mike Clark and Bassist Leon Lee Dorsey take on the iconic Beatles’ classic, 'Sgt. Pepper'

Source: Lisa Reedy Promotions
August 26, 2020

It was 53 years ago today, May 26, 1967, when the Beatles released the seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It has been hailed a milestone ("a joyful revelation," “the definitive Beatles album"), considered one of their best at the time of its release, and ranked “the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone's list of the top 500 rock and roll recordings." So, when bassist extraordinaire Leon Dorsey and drum legend Mike Clark were tossing it back ...
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Recording

Jazz Legends Michael Wolff And Mike Clark To Release "Wolff & Clark Expedition" Debut CD

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
January 28, 2013

Available February 19 on RANDOM ACT RECORDS New York, NY – When two of the best musicians on the planet decide to combine their estimable talents to create a band without boundaries, the result is the WOLFF & CLARK EXPEDITION. Dizzy Gillespie famously said that jazz must have “one foot in the past and one in the future.” With the Wolff & Clark Expedition, the music embraces the past, ventures into the future, but remains rooted in the improvisatory present. ...
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Performance / Tour

The Wolff & Clark Expedition Featuring Jazz Legends Michael Wolff And Mike Clark To Play The Sgi-usa In New York, Ny - Oct. 15, 2012

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
October 11, 2012

New York, NY – Jazz legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, the Wolff & Clark Expedition, will be performing at the SGI-USA in New York, NY on October 15, 2012, promising unforgettable evenings of hot jazz and funk. The duo will be joined by Daryl Johns on acoustic bass, and Mark Shim on alto sax. Hot off the heels of a very successful engagement in Los Angeles, the Wolff & Clark Expedition is preparing to bring their special blend of ...
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Performance / Tour

The Wolff & Clark Expedition Featuring Jazz Legends Michael Wolff And Mike Clark To Play Vitello's In Studio City, CA - August 17, 2012

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
August 5, 2012

New York, NY: Jazz legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, the Wolff & Clark Expedition, will be performing at Vitello's Jazz and Supper Club in Studio City, CA on Friday, August 17, 2012, promising unforgettable evenings of hot jazz and funk. The duo will be joined by renowned bassist Brian Bromberg (Dizzy Gillespie, Tom Scott, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, and many others). Hot off the heels of two very successful engagements in New York City, the Wolff & Clark Expedition ...
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Event

The Wolff & Clark Expedition Featuring Jazz Legends Michael Wolff And Mike Clark To Play The Kitano In Nyc - July 7, 2012

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
June 27, 2012

New York, NY: Jazz legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, the Wolff & Clark Expedition, will be performing at The Kitano in New York City on July 7, 2012, promising unforgettable evenings of hot jazz and funk. The duo will be joined by Steve Wilson on alto saxophone and Chip Jackson on acoustic bass. Hot off the heels of two very successful engagements in New Mexico, the Wolff & Clark Expedition are preparing to tear it up in New York ...
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Performance / Tour

The Wolff & Clark Expedition Featuring Jazz Legends Michael Wolff And Mike Clark To Play Two Shows In New Mexico

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
May 8, 2012

New York, NY: Dizzy Gillespie famously said, “One foot in the past and one in the future,” to which could be added – if you are talking about the Wolff & Clark Expedition – with feet firmly planed in the here and now. Featuring jazz legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, the Wolff & Clark Expedition, will be performing two shows in New Mexico this coming May. On May 16th the ensemble will be playing at the Gig Performance Space ...
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Performance / Tour

Michael Wolff To Play Three Weekends At NYC's Knickerbocker

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
March 14, 2012

New York, NY—The NYC jazz community is buzzing with excitement over the news of three special live engagements at the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill in Manhattan by jazz legend Michael Wolff. Performing with a different trio at each engagement, Michael Wolff's concert is sure to be an unforgettable evening of hot jazz. Dates and Ensembles: March 16 and 17 Michael Wolff—piano Ben Allison—bass Damien Reid—drums March 23 and 24 Michael Wolff—piano
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Performance / Tour

The Wolff & Clark Expedition Featuring Jazz Legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark To Play Famed Jazz Kitchen In Indianapolis

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
February 9, 2012

New York, NY: The jazz community is buzzing with excitement over the news of a special live engagement at the famed Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis by the Wolff & Clark Expedition on Saturday February 25, 2012. Featuring jazz legends Michael Wolff and Mike Clark, the concert is sure to be an unforgettable evening of hot jazz and funk. The group also features local Indianapolis musicians Rob Dixon on tenor sax and and popular jazz bassist Frank Smith. Hot off the ...
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