About Michael

Milo Petersen | milopetersen.com
Making his home in Seattle, guitarist/drummer/composer/educator Milo Petersen’s first music lesson was from his Danish grandfather who played the harmonica and the accordion. When Milo was 5 years old he asked his Grandfather if he could play his harmonica. His grandfather replied, “First you have to whistle a tune”. Milo went on to study violin and sing in church choirs as a child. He later studied guitar with Mark Baker, Jim Kelleher, Dave Peterson, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlow and Joe Pass. He currently enjoys a long term student/teacher relationship with 7-string guitar master Ron Eschete. Milo has also studied drums with Moyes Lucas Jr., Victor Lewis, Billy Hart, Mel Brown, Steve Ellington, Jeff Hamilton, Ignacio Berroa, Idris Muhammed, and Herlin Riley.

Milo has been active in the Pacific Northwest jazz community since the late 70’s after studying for 3 years at Western Washington University under Bill Cole, Scott Reeves, and Americole Biasini. Milo spent 4 years in New York City (1987-1991) leading trios and quartets and then returned to Seattle. In addition to playing with the wide array of amazing musicians in Seattle he has performed with some of the world’s finest including: Gary Steele, Ron Eschete, Julian Priester, Joe Sample, Ernestine Anderson, Herb Ellis, Nancy King, Cedar Walton (with the Composer’s and Improviser’s Orchestra), Mose Allison, Larry Coryell, Chip Jackson, Eliot Zigmund, Billy Hart and Phil Markowitz. Milo also had the great fortune, thanks to saxophonist/composer Steve Griggs, of recording 2 CDs with master drummer Elvin Jones (Jones for Elvin vols.1 & 2 – Hip City Music).

He has appeared on The Bob Hope Show, The Eartha Kitt show, the Broadway shows Ain’t Misbehavin’, Five Guy’s Named Moe, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, and performed with pop vocal groups The Coasters, The Drifters and The 5th Dimension.

Milo spent 4 years on the adjunct faculties of Western Washington University and Olympic Community College. He has also taught at The Cornish Institute For The Arts in Seattle and Friend’s Seminary, NYC. He currently teaches privately and at Seattle Central Community College.

Hummie Mann | hummiemann.com

Two-time Emmy-award winning composer/arranger Hummie Mann has collaborated with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors in both theatrical and television films. His motion pictures projects have ranged from Mel Brooks’ “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” to Peter Yates’ “Year of the Comet”, the children’s film “Thomas and the Magic Railroad” to “Wooly Boys” directed by Leszek Burzynski starring Peter Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Keith Carradine and Joe Mazzello. For television, he has scored projects for Simon Wincer (the miniseries “P.T. Barnum”), Jonathan Kaplan (the miniseries re-make of “In Cold Blood”), Norman Jewison (“Picture Windows”), Peter Bogdanovich (“The Rescuers: Tales of Courage – Two Women”), Joe Dante (“Masters of Horror: Homecoming”), Jim Abrahams (“First Do No Harm”), Richard Friedenberg (“Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas”), William Friedkin, John Milius and Ralph Bakshi (all part of the “Rebel Highway” series), among others.

Mann was honored with his second Emmy Award for an episode of Showtime’s Picture Windows entitled “Language of the Heart”, a love story about a street musician and an aspiring ballerina. The composer’s score so impressed director Jonathan Kaplan that Kaplan hired him to write the music for CBS’s “In Cold Blood” starring Anthony Edwards and Eric Roberts.

The four-hour miniseries, based on the Truman Capote classic about two young drifters and the murder of a Midwestern family, demanded an unorthodox musical approach. Mann took the lyrics actually written by one of the killers (an amateur songwriter) and set them to music; the songs thus became the heart of the score, which was played by a handful of instruments including mandolin, dobro and bottleneck blues guitar supported by electronic textures.

Kaplan says that Oscar-winning movie-music legend Jerry Goldsmith recommended Mann as a composer with a strong sense of melody and a genuine command of the orchestra. Adds Kaplan: “It’s very rare that you can find someone who is as gifted as Hummie is, and as motivated and easy to work with.”

In the world of Independent films, Mann scored “Falltime” for first time director Paul Warner starring Mickey Rourke, Stephen Baldwin and Sheryl Lee. That film premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Mann has also scored films by two well-known screenwriters making their initial forays into directing. He composed a contemporary jazz-rock score for the coming-of-age story “Sticks & Stones” by Neil Tolkin, and also scored the short film “The Red Coat” for Little Women writer Robin Swicord.

Twice Mann has collaborated with legendary comedy director Mel Brooks. His first Brooks score was for “Robin Hood: Men in Tights”, which NBC-TV critic Gene Shalit singled out for praise, likening it to the legendary Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s scores for the classic swashbucklers of the ’30s and ’40s. He also scored Brooks’ next film- “Dracula: Dead & Loving It” which starred Leslie Nielsen.

The grand-scale symphonic music for Brooks’ two film parodies contrasts sharply with Mann’s acoustic-guitar-based score for the Donald Sutherland-Amy Irving thriller “Benefit of the Doubt”, and the soaring, charming music for Peter Yates’ “Year of the Comet”, which combined orchestral sounds with Scottish ethnic elements. Yates, the director of Bullitt and The Deep, found “a freshness and energy” in Mann’s music for “Year of the Comet”. The periodical ‘Film Score Monthly‘ named this score as one of the “Ten Most Underrated Scores of the Decade” and it was nominated in the category of Best Score – Drama or Romantic Drama in the 1992 UK Moviemusic Awards.

Among Mann’s most provocative projects have been two series for Showtime: “Picture Windows”, which Norman Jewison executive-produced and which enabled the composer to collaborate with Jewison, Kaplan, Dante and Bob Rafelson; and “Rebel Highway”, a series of drive-in-movie remakes by Kaplan, Friedkin, Milius, Dante, Ralph Bakshi, John McNaughton, Mary Lambert and Uli Edel. Mann also composed the main title theme music for both series.

Mann co-produced the Marc Shaiman scores for such hits as “Sleepless in Seattle”, “A Few Good Men” and “Mr. Saturday Night”, and both orchestrated and conducted the Shaiman scores for “City Slickers” and “The Addams Family”. His orchestrations can also heard in such films as “Speechless”, “Addams Family Values”, “Misery”, “Sister Act”, “Dying Young”, and “For the Boys” and he co-arranged the song “Places That Belong to You” for Barbra Streisand’s best-selling “Prince of Tides” soundtrack album. He also composed the Carl Stalling-style underscore for “Box Office Bunny”, the first theatrical Bugs Bunny cartoon released in 26 years.

In television, Mann composed the main title theme and underscore for Rob Reiner’s cult series “Morton & Hayes”. He received two Emmy nominations for his arrangements on the popular “Moonlighting” series, and received an Emmy Award for arranging Billy Crystal’s opening number for the “1992 Academy Awards” telecast.

For the legit theater, Mann arranged new material for Debbie Reynolds’ tour of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”. He created new arrangements for Pia Zadora in the Long Beach Civic Light Opera’s production of “Funny Girl”, and has arranged music for several other Southern California stage productions including “Babes in Toyland”, “Kiss Me Kate”, “The Merry Widow” and Cloris Leachman’s “Perfectly Frank”. His original children’s theater musical adaptation of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” premiered at the Seattle Children’s Theater in 2006 for an extremely successful run of over 110 performances. In 2007 it will be playing at Childsplay in Arizona and the Des Moines Playhouse in Iowa.

Born in Montreal, Mann began studying music at the age of seven. He learned to play not only the piano, but also recorder, guitar, clarinet and oboe. He graduated magna cum laude in 1976 from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music and moved in 1980 to Los Angeles, where he began orchestrating and composing for such top-rated series as “Fame”, “Moonlighting”, “Knots Landing”, “ALF” and “The Simpsons”. In early 1998 Berklee Faculty member and world renowned vibraphonist Gary Burton presented Mann with Berklee’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Besides his busy composing career, Mann is also the principal instructor of the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program and a guest lecturer at Napier University in Scotland as well as Artlab in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has twice visited China as a guest artist of the Chinese government meeting with students, film makers and composers. He is a board member and founding president of the Seattle Composers Alliance and a governor of the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Chuck Israels | chuckisraels.com

A composer/arranger/bassist who has worked with Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, J.J. Johnson, John Coltrane, and many others. He is best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1961 through 1966 and for his pioneering accomplishments in Jazz Repertory as Director of the National Jazz Ensemble from 1973 to 1981. He is now the Director of Jazz Studies at Western Washington University in Bellingham.

Chuck is a guest composer/director with various European jazz ensembles and orchestras as well as a frequent performer with the Barry Harris Trio. “The Eindhoven Concert,” a CD of Chuck’s compositions and arrangements, played by the Metropole Orchestra under Chuck’s direction, with trumpet soloist Claudio Roditi, has been released on Azica Recordings. “The Bellingham Sessions” is his most recent small group release as a leader (Audio Ideas Recordings). Mood Records has released a concert of Chuck’s compositions and arrangements played by the Hannover Philharmonic Orchestra under his direction, and Chiaroscuro Records has just released historic National Jazz Ensemble recordings on CD.

Among Chuck’s many recordings as a bassist, some outstanding ones include: Coltrane Time, with John Coltrane; My Point of View, with Herbie Hancock; Getz au Go-Go, with Stan Getz; and many recordings with the Bill Evans Trio, including The Town Hall Concert; The Second Trio; Trio ’65; Live at the Trident; Time Remembered; and Live at Shelley’s Manne Hole.

Dr. Carol Sams | wikipedia.org

Carol grew up in California, began composing at the age of six, and had her work first performed when she was eighteen. She obtained a Master’s degree in composition from Mills College, where she studied with renowned French composer Darius Milhaud, and recieved a Ph.D in Composition from the University of Washington. She has written forty-two operas – thirty of them for children – all of which have been performed. Many were commissioned by the Shoreline School district and written on historical themes; a recent one, for example, depicted the life of Benjamin Franklin.

Steve Nowak | allaboutjazz.com

Guitarist, Steve Nowak has been a well-respected figure in the Pacific Northwest’s community of professional musicians for many years. After touring nationally in the 1970’s and ’80’s, Steve has spent the past two decades in Seattle, honing his formidable Jazz and rhythm and blues skills.

Playing and recording with talented performers such as Lonnie Williams, Jay Thomas, Norm Bellas, Seattle Women in Rhythm & Blues, Jay Roberts, the Drifters and numerous others, Steve Nowak brings a seasoned talent to Odd Man In.

Fred Radke | fredradke.com

Born in Oakland, California, Fred started playing trumpet at age seven and soon joined musical organization, the Weldonians. He turned professional at the age of fifteen and performed with the Sal Carson and Dick Stewart big bands. Over the next three years, Fred led the band of a steamship line during ocean crossings of the Pacific and gained additional experience by working with Marlene Dietrich (with Burt Bacharach conducting), and Johnny Mathis.

He furthered his education by attending the College of San Mateo and was featured as guest trumpet soloist and musical director of “The Lancers”.

WITH HARRY JAMES:
Perhaps the most important musical influence in Fred’s early career was that of legendary jazz trumpet player Harry James. In what can only be described as a dream come true for Fred, he joined the Harry James Orchestra as lead trumpet player and toured with his mentor. Fred cherished his time with Harry and considered it a great compliment when other musicians, including Harry himself, would remark as to the similarity of Fred’s sound and musical style to that of his mentor.

In early 1989, Fred was asked by the Harry James Estate and Columbia Artists to lead the Harry James Orchestra for the 50th Anniversary of Harry James, where they performed 71 concerts throughout the United States. In 1994-95, Fred led a Tribute to Harry James in a battle of the Big Bands on an International Tour. In 1998, Fred was once again the leader of the Harry James Orchestra for a coast-to-coast tour where they performed 75 concerts.

Along with vocalist Gina Funes, Fred has captivated hordes of veteran big-band music fans as well as novice listeners throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and across North America. Fred has also performed six tours of the Far East. In 2007 he won his third Telly Award, for Visions of Valor, recognizing Medal of Honor recipients. He also won Tellys in 2004 as music director, for the Museum of Flight¡¯s Wings of Heroes, and in 2005 for Apollo 13.

Roupen Shakarian | skagitsymphony.com

Now in his eighth season as music director of the Skagit Symphony, is an active composer and conductor. In October 2009, he appeared as guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony, and in June 2010 with the Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra. He has also conducted the Victoria Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Youth Symphony, California Youth Symphony and the Northwest Chamber Orchestra. For the past 24 years, he served as the music director of Philharmonia Northwest in Seattle, stepping down after the 2009-2010 season. With Skagit Opera, he has conducted performances of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance at McIntyre Hall.

A published composer and recipient of numerous commissions, his works include: Whimsy and Chamber Symphony for Philharmonia Northwest; Five Bagatelles for woodwind quintet; Inner Places for organ and brass quintet; Pastime for a small ensemble; Flute Concerto; and The Turnip, Clock, and the Kid, commissioned and recorded by The Rainier Chamber Winds.

Recent works include: “… is but a dream” for solo oboe, written for Rebecca Henderson and recorded by Ms. Henderson on Boston Records label; Other Voices for chorus and small ensemble, commissioned by the Midsummer Musical Retreat Board; two choral pieces: Almighty and Everlasting God, commissioned by Opus 7; and If Ye love Me, Keep My Commandments, published by Oxford University Press. Bone Island Suite, a song cycle for soprano and orchestra, received its premier in April 2006 with Philharmonia Northwest. In 2007, his Violin Concerto was premiered in addition to the performance of his Flute Concerto.

Tom Davis | http://tomdaviscomposer.com/

“Tom’s music is sophisticated, smart and fun and his compositions provide a fantastic bridge between the educational and professional music worlds. If I was leading a younger band, I would stock my library full of his music!” – Maria Schneider

With music degrees from Ithaca College and The Eastman School of Music, Tom Davis has been an educator for 28 years at the high school level. He has studied trumpet with Herb Mueller and Vincent DiMartino and has studied jazz improvisation and/or composition with Bill Dobbins, Rayburn Wright, Ramon Ricker, John LaBarbera, Steve Brown, Samuel Adler, Robert Morris, and Dana Wilson.

In addition to performing with a local jazz quintet, “Exit 41”, Tom has performed with Tom Harrell, Bill Dobbins, Slam Stewart, and Slide Hampton and has composed for the New Orleans Brass Quintet, Jim Pugh, Sir Roland Hanna, and Wynton Marsalis.

His ensembles have hosted guest artists and clinicians Jim Pugh, Barry Harris, Tom Christiansen, Jeff Jarvis, Bob Thompson, John Fedchock, Dave Mancini, Dennis DiBlasio, Willy Thomas, David Glasser, and Jon Faddis. The Canandaigua Academy Jazz Ensemble (under Davis’ direction) was a finalist in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Ensemble Competition hosted by the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble and Wynton Marsalis.

Tom currently has over 120 jazz and concert band compositions published by Educational Programs Publications (EPP), Heritage Jazz Works (a division of Lorenz), Kendor Music, Warner Brothers (now Alfred) Publications – in addition to his current company – Tom Davis Music Publications. He has been commissioned by schools to write original compositions for their programs including New Trier High School, Winnetka Illinois; Conard High School, West Hartford, Connecticut; The UNCW Jazz Ensemble, Wilmington North Carolina, St. Louis Metropolitan District Eight honors Jazz Ensemble, and most recently the Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas.

Tom has been active as a conductor and clinician, conducting Honors Ensembles including the Connecticut Eastern Regional Junior High Jazz Ensemble. He has been a clinician for Heritage Festivals (Salt Lake City, Utah) and has adjudicated festivals in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, and Missouri. Davis is currently the K-12 Music Supervisor of the Canandaigua City School District – Canandaigua, NY – A National Blue Ribbon School and listed as one of the AMC’s top 100 music programs in the US.

His newest release, Flowers For Algernon, features many new commissions and is scheduled for release May of 2009. In 2007 Tom released his debut CD of new compositions – Lake Songs – on his own label which can be found on his website.