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Mike Prigodich

Mike's jazz fusion compositions have begun attracting attention from many well-known national artists. Becoming a cancer patient in 2008 was the big wake-up call that got him to start writing lots of new music, form a band, start booking gigs, and pursue his dream of becoming a professional jazz musician, inspired by fellow cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Mike raised over $10,000 on kickstarter.com in 2010 to fund his first studio album "A Stitch In Time" featuring Damian Erskine, Reinhardt Melz, John Nastos, Brandon Woody, Rafael Trujillo, Patrick Lamb, Tim Jensen, and Paul Mazzio, produced by Emmy award-winning David Mathew. This studio album and band is also being featured on the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Oregon Art Beat television show. Mike currently resides in Portland, Oregon and enjoys playing with some of the finest musicians in town who are up to the task of performing his extremely challenging but accessible compositions.

The Mike Prigodich Group (a.k.a. MPEG - the Melz/Prigodich/Erskine Group) features the best original jazz fusion to come out of the Northwest with some of the best players in the Northwest. Mike Prigodich on piano is joined by the blow your mind rhythm section of master drummer Reinhardt Melz, bass virtuoso Damian Erskine, along with the superb tenor sax work of John Nastos. If you enjoy the music of Chick Corea, Return To Forever, Yellowjackets, Michael Brecker, Hiromi, etc., you'll love the fusion compositions of Mike Prigodich combining Jazz, Prog Rock, Afro-Cuban, Latin, Brazilian, Flamenco, Funk, as well as world music influences from the Middle East, Africa, Ireland, etc.

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About Mike Prigodich

During his college years, Mike Prigodich performed in the jazz ensemble at Wheaton College (Illinois) led by Larry Panella (Natalie Cole, Phil Collins Big Band). Peers included jazz piano great Deanna Witkowski. Mike also accompanied a black gospel choir conducted by Tanya Egler and co-led a rock band with Dove-award-winning vocalist Nicol Smith Sponberg and keyboardist Joe Bubar. He performed regular at Ginger Creek Community Church in Lombard, Illinois alongside many great musicians including Rich Trelease (Broadway musical national tour "Wicked") and Dennis Ostermann.

The 1990's saw Mike performing regularly with the Michael Newmark Orchestra, a 9-piece wedding band in the Chicago area. Mike also performed in a jazz quartet, once opening for Lou Rawls. After moving to Portland, OR in 1998, he performed briefly with a live band for Tapestry Theater's 2001 premier production of 1941 Christmas From Home, a WWII- era live radio style show. This was followed by a long hiatus from performing much in public due to the demands of his day job and family life.

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117
Album Review

Mike Prigodich: A Stitch in Time

Read "A Stitch in Time" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose


Mike Prigodich's A Stitch in Time comes as a pleasant surprise, not only because the pianist displays astounding technique, but because he dazzles with the dramatic nature of his playing. Yet the drama is no ruse or distraction from the heart of his music, which is highly charged with emotion. This is, of course, reflected in the maddeningly complex compositions he writes. Its architecture is created from a vast musical topography that covers vast swathes of the global soundscape--from North ...

241
Album Review

Mike Prigodich: A Stitch In Time

Read "A Stitch In Time" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Keyboardist/composer Mike Prigodich has some years experience in local outfits around Illinois and Oregon, from wedding bands to church groups. But it was not until he was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 that he decided to take his musical career more seriously. Three years later, the result is A Stitch In Time, a debut of originals that could broadly be categorized as jazz fusion but which also reach into the realms of hard rock, prog and even hard bop. His ...

174
Take Five With...

Take Five With Mike Prigodich

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


Meet Mike Prigodich: Mike's jazz fusion compositions have begun attracting attention from many well-known national and local artists. Becoming a cancer patient in 2008 was the big wakeup call that got him to start writing lots of new music, form a band, start booking gigs, and pursue his dream of becoming a professional jazz musician, inspired by fellow cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Mike raised over $10,000 on kickstarter.com in 2010 to fund his first studio album A Stitch ...

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139

Recording

Keyboardist/Composer Mike Prigodich Releases New CD "A Stitch in Time" from Mexican Mocha Music.

Keyboardist/Composer Mike Prigodich Releases New CD "A Stitch in Time" from Mexican Mocha Music.

Source: Two for the Show Media

Mexican Mocha Music CD Release Date: July 26th, 2011 Over the past two years Mike Prigodich's jazz-fusion compositions have begun attracting attention from many well-known national artists. For him, becoming a cancer patient in 2008 was the big wake-up call that got him to start writing new music, construct a band, start booking gigs, and pursue his dream of becoming a professional jazz musician. According to Prigodich, fellow cancer survivor Lance Armstrong inspired all this. Mike went on to raise ...

"I knew this guy was up to something; what a great disc! Beautifully written and played with passion and intensity by an excellent band. This is one of those CDs that you want to hear again as soon as it's finished. Bravo Mike!" -- George Whitty (Brecker Brothers)

"Watch out for this guy! Mike is terribly brave, adventurous, playful, and adept. As his compositions and playing demonstrate, Mr. Prigodich is a rising talent following his creative muse fearlessly to wherever it takes him. Kudos Mr. P!" -- David Goldblatt (Tribal Tech)

"This is band is top shelf; they were super tight and super exciting." -- George Colligan (Jack DeJohnette New Quintet)

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

A Stitch In Time

Mexican Mocha Music
2011

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