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Carl Michel

Composer and guitarist Carl Michel started playing music at a early age, initially inspired by rock and blues guitarists. After high school his interests shifted towards jazz, and after studying for a brief period at the West Bank School Of Music in Minneapolis, he eventually went to Berklee College of Music (1977-1979). In 1980, he moved to Austin, TX, with his brother, percussionist Robert "Booka" Michel, and—with Tina Marsh—became Co- founder of "The Creative Opportunity Orchestra," a large ensemble dedicated to performing new compositions. In 1985, he moved to Madison, WI, where he was actively involved with the Madison Music Collective. The Carl Michel Group, featuring Gerald Cleaver on drums, Michael Graye on alto sax and Tim Flood on bass, has been performing in the Detroit area since 1995. He has performed in Austin with Alex Coke, Rich Harney, Rock Savage, and Horacio Rodriguez. In Madison, he performed with Joan Wildman, Hans Sturm, Ray Kaczynski, Dane Richardson, Bill Anschell, Les Thimming, and Scott Fields. In Ft. Worth, Drew Phelps performed with him, and in Detroit, in addition to the musicians who are featured on his recently released CD, he has performed with Mark Hynes, Ken Kellet, and Ron Jackson. According to Carl, "I was fortunate enough to have been exposed to a lot of different types of music when I was young. I can remember hearing popular music, jazz, folk and country music on the radio and listening to classical music in my school when I was growing up. I started out on cornet in school band and when adolescence hit, I gravitated towards rock and played in 'garage bands'. I was mostly intrigued with the guitarists that were more geared towards improvisation— Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa and Jerry Garcia." After reading about their influences, I listened to B.B. King, Howling Wolf and John Lee Hooker and I would 'cop licks' off of the records. It was the exposure of John McLaughlin and Ralph Towner that turned my head towards jazz and when a friend of mine turned me on to Joe Pass, I knew that I had some serious studying to do. I started to study music seriously at the West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis and then attended Berklee College of Music. After that I moved to Austin, TX and taught private lessons and did various gigs. I put together a group that played my compositions, and I helped form, with Tina Marsh, the Creative Opportunity Orchestra, a large ensemble that performs the compositions of its members.

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21
Album Review

Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet: Emergence

Read "Emergence" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Emergence, the latest album by the Texas-based Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet, is by and large chamber jazz, veering often into the realms of avant-garde and free improvisation. The standard of musicianship is high, the urge to listen a second time rather less so--an opinion that must be qualified by the admission that it expresses a neophyte's point of view. The question thus becomes, what can be said about such an enterprise, given one's basic unfamiliarity ...

7
Album Review

Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet: Emergence

Read "Emergence" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


The Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet expand their sound on this album, the follow-up to their debut, The Emissary, (Play On, 2022). Their unique instrumental blend of reeds, guitar, pedal steel, vibes, harp, and bass retains its ethereal charm while also pushing forward into fresh musical territory. “Bagatelle II," by Ukrainian composer, Valentin Silvestrov, sounds like a medieval folk song. Its melody is laid out by Michel's guitar and Coke's flute while Carolyn Trowbridge's vibraphone and the ...

2
Album Review

Alex Coke & Carl Michel: The Emissary

Read "The Emissary" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


With instrumentation that includes harp, pedal steel guitar and vibraphone, this album is clearly not meant to resemble a classic jazz session. Instead, it ambitiously incorporates jazz, medieval composition and exotic folk melodies into a hypnotically beautiful set of diverse rhythms and motifs. The most austere selection is “O Pastor Animarum" by 12th century composer, Hildegarde von Bingen. Here Carl Michel's guitar, Elaine Barber's harp, and Bob Hoffnar's pedal steel guitar combine into a thick, iridescent weave of ...

10
Album Review

Alex Coke & Carl Michel: The Emissary

Read "The Emissary" reviewed by Kyle Simpler


While much of the world was in lockdown during 2020, saxophonist Alex Coke and harpist Elaine Barber had an idea that caught on. They decided to bring their instruments out on the driveway of the Austin, Texas home they were sheltering in and play music while waiting for their groceries to be delivered. These impromptu concerts turned out to be popular and soon became weekly events. The Emissary grew out of these concerts. The Coke-Barber combination opened up ...

3
Album Review

Carl Michel: Music in Motian

Read "Music in Motian" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Late drummer, texturalist, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian holds a revered space in the post-bop of the last half century. From early stints with Lennie Tristano and Coleman Hawkins to his seared-into-legend work with Bill Evans on Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside Records, 1961), and Waltz for Debby (Riverside Records, 1962)); through his fiery live and studio performances with Keith Jarrett's American Quartet on The Survivor's Suite (ECM Records, 1967). His compositions held a folk-like quality, and have been ...

159
Album Review

Carl Michel Group: The Carl Michel Group (+)

Read "The Carl Michel Group (+)" reviewed by Todd S. Jenkins


A new-century octet that pays loving homage to the old school while looking ahead. Michel and company combine a reverence for prior jazz forms with an adventurous spirit as they tackle nine original compositions by the guitarist/leader.

One might immediately notice the presence of drummer Gerald Cleaver, who is perhaps better known for hanging around avant-garde circles (i.e., his recent work with Matthew Shipp’s New Orbit) than playing in a more mainstream context like this. Cleaver’s presence adds the push ...

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4

Recording

Guitarist Carl Michel Celebrates the music of Paul Motian with "Music in Motian" on Play On Records

Guitarist Carl Michel Celebrates the music of Paul Motian with "Music in Motian" on Play On Records

Source: All About Jazz

The music of drummer/composer Paul Motian is revered in certain circles of jazz, while resting in obscurity among others. The performing credits of Motian run deep and are extensive, but as a author of highly original music, he lies in the under-documented category. This will not last much longer as, in the years since his passing, his followers are carrying the torch, one such notable being guitarist Carl Michel. Michel (pronounced Michael) has recognized the contributions of Paul Motian, and ...

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Music Industry

Carl Michel Group (+) New CD Release

Carl Michel Group (+) New CD Release

Source: All About Jazz

Play On Records is proud to present a new release, “The Carl Michel Group (+)." “The Carl Michel Group (+)" delivers nine flawlessly executed compositions, featuring a jazz octet, that covers the wide spectrums of jazz and its influences. According to Detroit's Metro Times reviewer George Tysh, it will “have fans reaching for comparisons with the Gil Evans and Charles Mingus bands." Starting off with a nod to pianist Les McCann is the funky “Les Can." The music then continues ...

Primary Instrument

Guitar

Location

Austin

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Emergence

Play On
2023

buy

The Emissary

Play On
2021

buy

Music in Motian

Play On Records
2018

buy

CME

From: Emergence
By Carl Michel

Sol Y Luna

From: The Emissary
By Carl Michel

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