Collage by Mike Tucker

-Frank John Hadley , Down Beat Columnist, and Grove Press author

"The Mike Tucker Quartet is musically adept and engaging.....Tucker is a young composer with talent to spare.....The improvisational skills- especialy those of Tucker and Genovese are top -notch"

-Katie Debonvile, Performer Magazine, September 2004

Bio:

At an early age Mike's talent and creativity were clearly apparent. He began playing his saxophone at age 11 and by fifteen he was playing professionally. Mike's abilities were soon recognized -- before graduating high school he was chosen to play first Tenor in the "Massachusetts All State Jazz Band", the "All New England Grammy Band", and the "All Eastern Jazz Ensemble". These experiences brought him to be accepted into the Jazz program at William Patterson University in New Jersey where he studied under Rufus Reed, Steve Wilson, and Gary Smulyan.

Due to long hours of practice and misuse of his body while playing, Mike developed a severe case of tendonitis. Unable to play, Mike found himself dedicated to finding a long-term solution to his problem. He came upon a method called the "Alexander Technique" which taught him how to use his body in a more efficient way. With the inspiration of his Alexander Technique teacher, Rica Cohen, he decided to enroll in a three-year, 1600-hour, intensive training course to become a teacher of the technique himself. After practicing the technique for about a year he was able to continue focusing on his career in music

In January of 2002 Mike auditioned at the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he was awarded a full-tuition scholarship. Soon after, he was chosen to compete as one of fifteen semifinalists from around the globe in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophone Competition. This competition is held every five years at the Smithsonian Baird Auditorium in Washington, D.C., and was aired on B.E.T. (Black Entertainment Television). The panel of judges included Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman, George Coleman Don Braden and James Spaulding.

In the summer of 2002 Mike hit the road with the New Orleans based band "Brotherhood of Groove". Highlights of that tour included the Fairfax World Music Festival, the North Beach Jazz Festival in San Francisco, the House Of Blues in New Orleans, and The Boom Boom Room in San Francisco.

The following summer Mike toured with the Boulder Colorado-based band "The Motet", performing across the country. Highlights included opening for Tom Petty and Neil Young at the Aspen Jazz Festival and an appearance at the Berkshire Mountain Music Festival.

While studying at Berklee, Mike was selected to join a quintet under the direction of Gary Burton, which recorded a full-length album of original material. The five-day recording session was produced by Gary, together with Pat Metheny. It is currently being shopped to several major jazz labels. Soon after the session, Mike toured the East coast as a featured soloist with High Note recording artist Melvin Sparks.

Summer 2004 brought Mike to Japan with the Dennis Frehse Quartet under the sponsorship of Berklee College of Music. The quartet played the Phoenix Jazz Festival in Kobe and Nagoya, as well as smaller venues in Kyoto and Osaka.

In September of 2004, Mike had the honor of being the featured tenor saxophonist at a concert celebrating Michael Brecker's honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.

2005 has been a big year for Mike and his quartet, including appearances in Costa Rica as part of the "Emerging Artists of the 21st Century" concert series; a concert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.; and a night at the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City. Mike has also appeared as a featured soloist at the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, with the Esperanza Group; the Caramoor Jazz Festival, with the Francisco Mela Quartet; and at the Berklee Performance Center with members of the Yellowjackets.

Recently nominated for a Boston Music Award, Mike Tucker was featured in the October 2005 JazzTimes magazine. Mike is leading his quartet in a European tour which includes a performance at the Nancy Jazz Festival in France.

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