Mike

Michael born into a family of great light in Queens (2 glorious parents, 8 brothers, and 2 sisters), at a tender age, leaped outside of his house to play the kitchen pots and garbage cans. Soon he discovered and percussively played the corner mail box, stop sign, neighborhood wrought iron fences, and NYC metal sculptures. Michael dove deep into the resonant tonal wonderlands of his surroundings, and soon his parents gifted him a blue sparkle Slingerland drum set. My oldest brother Tom through his drummer friend Jack, found Michael a great neighborhood drum teacher, Paradiddle Joe (Johnny Morris: the drummer from Sammy Spear’s Orchestra for the Jackie Gleason Show), Soon Michael studied at Frank Ippolito’s Professional Percussion Center (PPC) with Norman Grossman (hip Jazz drummer/Manes College of Music symphonic percussion instructor). Having a firm foundation with drum lessons at 50th st. & 8th ave., Michael met Papa Jo Jones (Father of Modern Drumming: drummer for Billie Holliday & Count Basie), and Elvin Jones (innovator and John Coltrane’s drummer). Those experiences ignited Michael to performing and recording in various idioms, to this day. Michael is also a national board certified music therapist, who utilizes music as a tool to achieve goals for special education children.