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Mike Carson

Mike Carson- is a melodic, jazzy , traditional approach to Contemporary Smooth Jazz . . .

About Me

Michael Anthony Carson was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. Mike is one of the pioneers of what is commonly known as contemporary jazz. A combination of traditional jazz improvisation and R&B, this genre forms a bridge from the jazz fusion of the late 60s to the jazz pop of the mid 80s. As a child, Mike was introduced to music through his father's purchase of a Ukulele. In the 4th Grade Mike started his love for the wind instruments by playing the clarinet in the Philadelphia public schools. At age 11, Mike performed at the White House Conference on Music and played for Former President Richard Nixon, this was air on NBC in 1969. At age 15, Mike Carson's first gigging band was called, Steel Dagger and they opened up for Stevie Wonder in 1972. In High School studied with Odean Pope and played in the Model Cities Band, and also studied at the Settlement School of Music in Philadelphia. After spending six weeks in India while in high school. Mike Developed a new perspective on music . While in College at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., he studied jazz with the famed clarinetist Alvin Batiste which started the love affair for the sax and later the flute in his hometown Gary, Indiana. At Berklee College of Music, in Boston, he studied with Bill Pierce, Steve Grossman, Andy McGee and Composer/Arranger Mike Gibbs. In Chicago he studied with famed tenor sax player Joe Daly.