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Mike Lorenz

Mike Lorenz, guitarist/composer/educator, hails from Bethlehem, PA where he is a member of the music faculty at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. Since 2007, Mike has kept a busy schedule as a freelancing performer, leading his trio/quartet in performance up-and-down the Northeast Corridor. He has held a residency at Tired Hands Brewing Company in Ardmore, PA, recently rated the best brewery in PA and one of the top 50 breweries in the world, for 7 years. Since his first album in 2012, Of the Woods, Mike has since released 6 records under his own leadership, the most recent of which, released in August 2019, features his group, Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees.

Tags

5
Album Review

The Witherbees: Love Letter

Read "Love Letter" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


The Witherbees are a band from Philadelphia that mix folk, country, rock and jazz together into a stew of dreamy music that flows together easily into a distinctive sound. Instrumental tracks like “Mirage," “Cold Spell" and “Tribute Valley" are the most overtly jazzy ones on their album. On these, Mike Lorenz's guitar and Jacqui Armbruster's viola play against each other in a low-key swinging mode over the tumbling undercarriage of Justin Sekelewski's solid bass and Kyle Andrews' strutting ...

10
Album Review

Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees: Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees

Read "Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees" reviewed by Geno Thackara


File Mike Lorenz and the Witherbees under folk, jazz or film soundtrack and they will have enough of the right sound not to seem terribly out of place. Okay, this moody debut isn't actually a soundtrack, but there is no reason why it shouldn't be if the right noir mind-bender were to come along. The quartet's musical blend is a thoughtful one, concerned much more with feel than genre; even when these songs are straightforward at heart, the arrangements rarely ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Mike Lorenz

Read "Take Five With Mike Lorenz" reviewed by Mike Lorenz


Meet Mike Lorenz: Mike Lorenz, guitarist/ composer/ educator, hails from Bethlehem, PA where he is a member of the music faculty at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts. For over a decade, Mike has kept a busy schedule as a freelancing performer, leading his trio/quartet in performances up-and-down the Northeast Corridor. He holds a steady residency at Tired Hands Brewing Company in Ardmore, PA, one of the top 50 breweries in the world, playing every Thursday night ...

3
Album Review

Mike Lorenz: speak between

Read "speak between" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


A first impression: Guitarist Mike Lorenz has created, on Speak Between, a sound that runs in a parallel to some of the albums released by drummer Paul Motian, in his teamings with guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano--It Should Have Happened A Long Time Ago (ECM Records, 1984) and Jack Of Clubs (Soul Note, 1984). These are sets that allowed the same freedom Frisell applied in his early albums under his own name, in the creation soundscapes and luminescent ...

32
Album Review

Mike Lorenz: Of The Woods

Read "Of The Woods" reviewed by Wade Luquet


On his debut, Of The Woods, Philadelphia guitarist Mike Lorenz shows not only his guitar skills, but his gifted compositional talents as well. With an innovative sound combining modern, free, and bebop jazz styles, Of the Woods is an easy listen while, at the same time, pushing new boundaries of jazz. It is obvious, throughout this work, that this 27 year-old guitar virtuoso is pleased to share the time on his compositions with his very talented quintet including alto saxophonist ...

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8

Recording

Mike Lorenz & The Witherbees Release Tribute Valley - Available Streaming March 13th, 2020

Mike Lorenz & The Witherbees Release Tribute Valley - Available Streaming March 13th, 2020

Source: Mike Lorenz

The jny: Philadelphia area folk-jazz band, Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees, is the newest creation of guitarist/composer/bandleader Mike Lorenz. Having released their first LP of new original music and folksy covers in the summer of 2019 to positive reviews, the group continues to write and arrange new material to develop their sound and reach. With the digital EP Tribute Valley, the band celebrates its penchant for covering songs they love, deconstructing them, and putting them back together. This newest release ...

5

Recording

Guitarist Mike Lorenz & The Witherbees Release Their Debut, Self-Titled LP

Guitarist Mike Lorenz & The Witherbees Release Their Debut, Self-Titled LP

Source: All About Jazz

This summer, the Philadelphia area folk-jazz band, Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees, are releasing their first LP of new original music and folksy covers. Following up on the release of the digital single “When the Stars Go Blue,” this release encapsulates all of the group’s unique tastes and sonic trajectories. The band celebrated their release with a series of live shows including an appearance at Bethlehem’s Musikfest 2019 on August 9, 2019. Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees features 19-year-old, up-and-coming ...

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Recording

Guitarist Mike Lorenz's "Of the Woods" Available Now!

Guitarist Mike Lorenz's "Of the Woods" Available Now!

Source: Mike Lorenz

Philadelphia guitarist Mike Lorenz has released his debut full-length CD, Of the Woods, available now on iTunes, CDBaby and BandCamp. Of the Woods highlights seven of Lorenz's original compositions performed in quartet and quintet setting and featuring pianist Matt Mitchell, alto saxophonist Mike Cemprola, bassist Brian Howell and drummer Matt Scarano. A CD release show is scheduled for Friday, February 10th, 2012 at the Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia, PA as part of the Lucky Old Souls @ Moonstone concert ...

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Performance / Tour

Mike Lorenz Quartet CD release show in Easton, PA 11/11/10

Mike Lorenz Quartet CD release show in Easton, PA 11/11/10

Source: Mike Lorenz


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Performance / Tour

Mike Lorenz Quartet CD release show in Philadelphia, PA

Mike Lorenz Quartet CD release show in Philadelphia, PA

Source: Mike Lorenz


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Performance / Tour

Mike Lorenz/Chris Covatta Quartet at Chris' Jazz Cafe on December 23, 2009

Mike Lorenz/Chris Covatta Quartet  at Chris' Jazz  Cafe on December 23, 2009

Source: All About Jazz


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Performance / Tour

Mike Lorenz Quartet with Highbrid in Doylestown - Thursday, January 15th

Mike Lorenz Quartet with Highbrid in Doylestown - Thursday, January 15th

Source: All About Jazz

This Thursday, January 15th, the Mike Lorenz Quartet and Highbrid make a joint appearance at Puck Live in Doylestown, PA. Both groups are frequent contributors to the Philadelphia jazz scene and feature a distinctly modern sound.

Mike Lorenz Quartet

Mike Lorenz is a young guitarist established in Lehigh Valley, PA leading a quartet of up- and-coming musicians performing his original jazz compositions. The group’s influences come from the avant-garde to the tradition of jazz combining the entire history of the ...

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Performance / Tour

Mike Lorenz Quartet @ Puck Live

Mike Lorenz Quartet @ Puck Live

Source: All About Jazz

Mike Lorenz will be performing at Puck in Doylestown on July 31, 2008. Lorenz is a jazz guitarist from Lehigh Valley, PA. Playing professionally since the age of 19, Mike has performed with such musicians as Rufus Reid, George Young, Bud Shank, Jim Pugh, Ravi Coltrane, Neil Wetzel, Paul Rostock and Pete Colangelo. Mike has performed at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia, PA and at Bethlehem's Musikfest. He is the newest member of the Tony Gairo/Gary Rissmiller Jazz Orchestra, a ...

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Performance / Tour

Mike Lorenz Quartet at Chris' Jazz Cafe on April 24, 2008

Mike Lorenz Quartet at Chris' Jazz Cafe on April 24, 2008

Source: All About Jazz

Mike Lorenz is a jazz guitarist from Lehigh Valley, PA. Playing professionally since the age of 19, Mike has performed with such musicians as Rufus Reid, George Young, Bud Shank, Jim Pugh, Ravi Coltrane, Neil Wetzel, Paul Rostock and Pete Colangelo.

Lorenz brings his quartet to Chris' Jazz Cafe on April 24, 2008.

MIKE LORENZ QUARTET Mike Lorenz - guitar Ian O'Beirne - saxophones Lee Clarke - bass Kyle Page - drums ...

"Working within the melodically edgy orbit of such role models as Ben Monder and Kurt Rosenwinkel, he can float by on chordal clouds or stun you with quick flashes of linear brilliance… Lorenz’s quartet comes at the material with a sense of whimsy and seasoned trust." —David R. Adler, Philadelphia Weekly

"The musicians bring traditional jazz aplomb and an intrepid sense of musicianship to each of their efforts on the new album, and the results prove both accessible and surprising." - WXPN's the Key, review of Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees

Primary Instrument

Guitar

Location

Bethlehem

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Mike Lorenz is a distinguished regional educator in jazz and improvised music. He teaches and directs the jazz band at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, PA. Additionally he has taught at the Moravian College Summer Jazz Camp, and the Moravian Academy Summer Jazz Camp.

Nels Cline
guitar, electric
Sonny Sharrock
guitar, electric
Bill Frisell
guitar, electric
Grant Green
guitar
Jim Hall
guitar
The Bad Plus
band / ensemble / orchestra
Grateful Dead
band / ensemble / orchestra

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Love Letter

Recent Music
2021

buy

Tribute Valley

Recent Music
2020

buy

vehicles

Recent Music
2020

buy

easy / home

Recent Music
2020

buy

Mike Lorenz & the...

Self Produced
2019

buy

Speak Between

Self Produced
2018

buy

Linger

From: Love Letter
By Mike Lorenz

easy

From: easy / home
By Mike Lorenz

Drum Wrecked

From: vehicles
By Mike Lorenz

Lilac

From: Mike Lorenz & the Witherbees
By Mike Lorenz

Speak Between

From: Speak Between
By Mike Lorenz

Scentless Apprentice

From: Mike Lorenz & Friendz
By Mike Lorenz

Between Signals

From: Of The Woods
By Mike Lorenz

Videos

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