Entertainment

Mike Price
Jazz Trumpeter/Composer/Bandleader

Mike originally arrived in Tokyo on an artist exchange program co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S./Japan Friendship Commission on a project involving the use of Japanese instruments in a jazz setting. This was initially meant to be a six month to year and a half long project, but now nineteen years later Mike is still surprised to be here. In his earlier years in Tokyo, he was invited to join Nobuo Hara and the Sharps & Flats that led to the start-up of his quintet and big band.

Mike's quintet formed in 1993 as a continuation of other small groups which dated back to 1976, who performed original music supplemented with selections from the jazz repertoire. His current quintet which features either guitar or tenor sax is an extension of the ensembles preceding it. They have appeared at a number of notable venues such as B Flat, The Cotton Club and Motion Blue.

Mike has been fortunate enough to perform with many great musicians, to list a few:
Trombonists - Britt Woodman, Glen Ferris, Bruce Fowler.
Drummers - Vinnie Colliuta, Tommy Campbell, Yoshinobu Inagaki.
Pianists - Milcho Leviev, Tom Pierson, Hiroshi Tanaka.
Saxophonists - Richie Cole, Lew Tabackin, Yuji Kawamura.
Guitarists - Les Coulter, Tod Carver, Haru Takauchi.
Vocalists - Harvey Thompson, Diane Witherspoon, Victor Savoy, Jane Blackstone.
He has also toured with the Harry James Band, Tony Bennett, George Benson, Sammy Davis Jr, Peggy Lee, Stevie Wonder, Julie Andrews, Beachboys, Manhattan Transfer and many, many more wonderful artists.

This evening Mike will delight us with his modern jazz orchestra. The big band had its premier performance on October 1st, 1999 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Duke Ellington's birth, that featured a rare performance of the 'Such Sweet Thunder Suite", also known as the "Shakespearian Suite". Mike's big band have an active performing schedule which include projects like "Tribute to Frank Sinatra", "Tribute to Buddy Rich", the Miles Davis/Gil Evans "Porgy and Bess Suite' and Ellington's "Far East Suite". Also featured are Mike's own works.