LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
Michael Wolff & Mike Clark Trio
Pianist Michael Wolff and drummer Mike Clark began playing together in the 70’s in San Francisco and immediately felt a musical and personal bond. They are still playing, recording, and touring together in 2025. This evening, they will play music from their recently released albums: Michael’s Sunny Day on Sunnyside Records and Mike’s Itai Doshin on Wide Hive Records. They will be joined by bassist Gary Brown.
General Admission
$25 in advance / $30 at the door
We are offering a limited number of seats for this performance. Advance purchase is recommended. Masking is optional.
“Michael Wolff is one of the greatest musicians I have ever played with.” – Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Legend
MICHAEL WOLFF
Michael Wolff is a renowned jazz pianist, composer and bandleader known for his virtuoso performances and innovative style. After leaving music school early to join the Latin-jazz great Cal Tjader’s band in the early ’70s, he spent the next two decades gigging and recording extensively. Wolff can be heard on over 21 recordings with a veritable hall of fame ranging from Tjader to Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Rollins, Nancy Wilson, Sheila E, Christian McBride, Tony Williams, and more. During this time, he even mingled with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Duke Ellington Band and the Count Basie Orchestra.
In addition to appearances at esteemed global venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Birdland, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Snug Harbor and Mezzrow, Wolff has performed with and conducted over 25 symphony orchestras worldwide including The Dallas Symphony, The Fort Worth Symphony, The Berlin Radio Orchestra, and The Atlanta Symphony. He has also performed as a soloist with The Memphis National Symphony and The Pittsburgh Symphony.
In the summer of 2015, Michael Wolff embarked on a grueling four-year battle with a rare form of blood cancer. In April 2022, he published a memoir, On That Note: A Memoir of Jazz, Tics, and Survival. It documents the highs, lows and ultimately triumphs.
Michael Wolff has covered a lot of ground musically in his career, and his latest album Sunny Days (Sunnyside Records) ventures outside the box, looking to beat-making and loops for inspiration. michaelwolff.com
MIKE CLARK
Mike Clark is a legendary drummer whose groundbreaking grooves have shaped the sounds of jazz and funk. From Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof” and The Headhunters, to his leading his own jazz groups, Mike Clark continues to push boundaries and inspire audiences worldwide. He has recorded with such well-known jazz greats as Christian McBride, Chet Baker, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Tony Bennett, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Donald Harrison, Eddie Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Albert King, Larry Coryell, Mike Wolff, Wallace Roney, Billy Childs, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Chris Potter, Bobby McFerrin, Nat Adderly, Oscar Brown Jr., and Gil Evans and his Orchestra.
Born in Sacramento, CA, Mike traveled around the country with his father, a union man for the railroad, and a former drummer himself. His dad had a great appreciation for jazz and blues music, and Mike credits this exposure as forming the foundation for his ability to synthesize many different regional styles. He absorbed the music of America while riding the rails. From age 4, he was a prodigy, sitting in—and getting “house”—with bands in Texas and New Orleans. By the time he reached his early twenties, he had become one of the founders of the distinctive East Bay Sound coming out of Oakland, California.
Mike has released two books, Funk Drumming: Innovative Grooves & Advanced Concepts (2005), and The Post-Bop Drum Book: A Complete Overview of Contemporary Jazz Drumming (2020).
Embracing many of the jazz genres Mike is famous for, his new album Itai Doshin (Wide Hive Records) is a masterpiece recording that ventures from straight ahead to funk and beyond. drummermikeclark.com