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Michael Collins, pianist and award-winning composer, is a graduate of the Thornton School of Music at USC, where he studied keyboard with legendary jazz pianists Shelly Berg and Russ Ferrante, and jazz composition with Los Angeles luminaries Kim Richmond and Jason Goldman. Originally from Arizona, Michael was a student of the late, great Joel DiBartolo at NAU, and studied in his own back yard with Phoenix legend Armand Boatman at the "Granada Conservatory" (Armand's living room on Granada Street). As a long-time member of the Phoenix-based Superstition Jazz Orchestra, he has lived a first-rate education in arranging under the baton of the master, Mike Crotty.
Michael's big band composition "Sketch Artist" was awarded honorable mention in the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards, and continues to have a place in the libraries of jazz ensembles around the world. His big band arrangement of "El Sur," a composition by Afro-Peruvian musician Gabriel Alegria, was featured on 40 Acres and a Burro, a GRAMMY-nominated album for Best Large Jazz Ensemble by latin jazz great Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Michael's piano playing and arranging is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition yet exceedingly modern; his deeply personal, intentional weilding of the forces melody and harmony gives Michael a unique voice among jazz pianists. He performs and composes with valley favorites Superstition Jazz Orchestra, Michael Collins Trio, and a small handul of talented local projects. Michael just released his debut album, West Side Story, featuring the talented rhythm secion of Vincent Thiefain on bass and Ryan Anthony on drums.
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