Home » Jazz Musicians » Michael Philip Mossman

Michael Philip Mossman

Michael Philip Mossman has been active on the international scene since the age of 17. And has recorded with his own groups and with a virtual “who's who” of the music industry.

Michael was nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Arrangement” for his “Afro-Latin Ellington Suite.” Michael has composed and arranged music for the films “Bossa Nova” and “Chico and Rita,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012. His ballet “Beneath the Mask” was performed by Jon Faddis and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra with the Deeply Rooted Dance Company (choreographed by Mayte Vicens.) His ballet, La Cova do Rey Cintolo was premiered in 2010 in Mondoñedo, Spain.

Mr. Mossman has conducted the Bilbao Symphonic Orchestra in Spain, and has composed and arranged scores for the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Tri-Cities Symphony, Joe Henderson's Grammy winning Big Band album, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, Tito Puente, Mario Bauza, Slide Hampton and the Jazz Masters Orchestra, Paquito D'Rivera, the UMO Orchestra of Finland, the NDR Big Band of Hamburg, WDR of Cologne, HR Bigband of Frankfurt, HGM Bigband of Zagreb, Danish Radio Big Band, the Andalucia Latin Jazz Big Band, Heineken Jazz Festival Orchestra in Puerto Rico, Granada Bigband, Sedajazz Latin Jazz Ensemble, and Ray Barretto's New World Spirit.

Following stints as lead trumpet with the Machito Orchestra, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Michael became the musical director of Blue Note Record's "young lion" group, Out of the Blue. He recorded four albums for Blue Note with this group before joining the Horace Silver Quintet. Michael has toured and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, McKoy Tyner, Gerry Mulligan, Joe Zawinul, Slide Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Jon Faddis, George Gruntz, Bob Mintzer, Steve Turre, Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Tom Pierson, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, the Charles Mingus Orchestra, Benny Carter, the Gil Evans Orchestra, and the Count Basie Orchestra. Michael has played lead trumpet with the Michel Camilo Bigband, the Jon Faddis Orchestra, the Chico O’Farrill Orchestra and the Jimmy Heath Bigband among many others.

Michael has also been a key performer in Latin Jazz since his days with Machito. Mr. Mossman has performed and recorded with Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Chico O'Farrill, Ray Barretto, Daniel Ponce, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Paquito D'Rivera, Bebo Valdez and Michel Camilo (including a screen appearance in the motion picture “Two Much”). Michael is featured in director Fernando Trueba’s highly acclaimed documentary on contemporary Latin Jazz, “Calle 54” as both performer and commentator. He also served as arranger and trumpet soloist for the legendary innovator of Latin Jazz, Mario Bauza and his Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra.

Read more

Tags

1

Rising Stars

Introducing the New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble and Choir

Read "Introducing the New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble and Choir" reviewed by Sanford Josephson

by Sanford Josephson

"Ordinary People," a ballad about an up-and-down romance, was released as the second single on John Legend's 2004 inaugural album, Get Lifted (Columbia). It became his signature song. On Friday evening, November 13, the New Jersey High School All-State Jazz Ensemble and Choir will perform Michael Philip Mossman's arrangement of it at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival.“This a rare opportunity to collaborate with both big band and jazz ...

Continue Reading...

42

Album Review

Hendrik Meurkens and the WDR Big Band: Samba Jazz Odyssey

Read "Samba Jazz Odyssey" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers

One could probably count the number of big-band albums featuring a harmonica player on the fingers of one hand and leave some unused. Only one other springs to mind here, and it was released so many years ago that the names have long since been forgotten. And so it is indeed a genuine pleasure to hear the virtuosic Hendrik Meurkens performing with one of the world's foremost large ensembles, Cologne, Germany's exemplary WDR Big Band. More than ...

Continue Reading...

14

Album Review

Hendrik Meurkens: Samba Jazz Odyssey

Read "Samba Jazz Odyssey" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco

One of the leading proponents of bossa nova and samba in the jazz world, New York-based chromatic harmonica virtuoso Hendrik Meurkens continues his love affair with Brazilian music with the big band sound of Samba Jazz Odyssey, his seventh release on the ZOHO record label. This time Meurkens is joined by the world-renown WDR Big Band from Cologne, Germany where the maestro and ensemble record nine tracks and seven of his most popular compositions arranged by Grammy-nominated conductor Michael Phillip ...

Continue Reading...

267

Album Review

Michael Phillip Mossman: The Orisha Suite

Read "The Orisha Suite" reviewed by Javier AQ Ortiz

by Javier AQ Ortiz

The Orisha Suite is inspired by some of the Afro-Cuban deities--or orishas--from Lucumí religious lore, with the exception of the soulful, funky, danceable and exquisite opening cut, which is dedicated to--and inspired by--the daughter of the date's leader. As such, nonetheless, the recording is a sonic interpretation of some of the theological tenets associated with this particular religious phenomenon so richly endowed with musical potential.

Michael Phillip Mossman has had the opportunity to learn from seminal musical practitioners ...

Continue Reading...

170

Album Review

Michael Philip Mossman Sextet: Mama Soho

Read "Mama Soho" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers

Although this is trumpeter Michael Philip Mossman’s second release as leader on the Swiss TCB label, I’d previously heard him only in the confines of big–band recordings, and this was the first chance to listen to him “stretch” with his own smaller group. Stretch he can, and stretch he does in a buoyant and colorful session that, while not billed as “Latin Jazz,” could well be, as all compositions (except for the standard “All the Things You Are”) and arrangements ...

Continue Reading...
Read more articles
Jeremy Wilms
composer / conductor

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Samba Jazz Odyssey

Zoho Music
2022

buy

The Orisha Suite

Creative Sources
2007

buy

The Orisha Suite

Pimienta Records
2004

buy

Mama Soho

TCB Music
1998

buy

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletters highlight our top stories, top album reviews, website news, free songs, radio & podcast shows, news, and upcoming jazz events near you.