Mike Baggetta

Guitarist Mike Baggetta is one of his generation’s most original jazz improvisors and composers. It has been said that his performances are "totally compelling" (Jazz Journal - UK), "his melodic sense is truly beautiful" (Jazzreview.com) and that "each piece he performs creates new worlds of possibilities" (The Hartford Courant).

Mike Baggetta recently received an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award for his compositional talent, and has also released the second album of his works for the Mike Baggetta Quartet, Source Material, on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. This is a follow-up to the first album by the quartet, Small Spaces, also on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. In addition to leading the Mike Baggetta Quartet (featuring Jason Rigby, Eivind Opsvik and George Schuller), Mike co-leads Tin/Bag, a new music duo with California trumpeter Kris Tiner.

Baggetta has had the pleasure of performing and/or recording with Tom Harrell, Conrad Herwig, Ralph Bowen, Adam Kolker, Jeff Hirshfield, Ken Filiano, Jamie Baum, Tony Reedus, Steve LaSpina, Cameron Brown, Bill McHenry, Brad Shepik, Matt Wilson, George Garzone, Ron McClure, Joe Fonda, Kevin Norton, Bucky Pizzarelli and Ruth Brown among many others.

Originally from Agawam, MA, Baggetta's musical studies have been insightfully guided by Ted Dunbar, Vic Juris, Stanley Cowell and Jim Hall. He has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, Town Hall and many other leading concert venues worldwide. Mike currently lives in New York City and is an endorsing artist for D'Addario Strings.