Mike Tomaro

Mike Tomaro is a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator specializing in jazz and commercial music. He recently retired from the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was its Jazz Studies Program Director since 1997. Prior to this, he was a member of the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, a unit of the prestigious “Pershing’s Own” U.S. Army Band for 17 years.  While a member of this group, he served as its Enlisted Musical Director and performed for Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton as well as heads of state from around the world.  He also composed and/or arranged much of the Army Blues repertoire and was featured as a soloist on several of the group’s albums and CDs.  Mike is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Diamond Artist.

Mike has five recordings under his own name that showcase his talents as performer, composer and arranger, “4 Seasons” (MCG Jazz), “Nightowl Suite,” “Forgotten Dreams,” “Dancing Eyes” and “Home Again.” These can we found on various streaming services as well as his YouTube channel (@miketomaro5854).” Mike has also been featured on many other recordings as performer and/or arranger, most notably on upcoming albums by Diva (“Audacity”), Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra featuring Ray Angry (title TBA), Pittsburgh Jazz Collective (“Pittsburgh Jazz Collective”), as well as Nancy Wilson (“Turned To Blue” & “RSVP,”) Bob Mintzer Big Band (“For The Moment”), Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra (“Bernstein Reimagined”), Ann Hampton Callaway (“The Hope Of Christmas”), New York Voices (“A Day Like This”), Sheryl Bailey (“A New Promise”), and the 21st Century Swing Band (“Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy”).

As a performer, Mike has worked with such diverse artists and groups as Kurt Elling, Rosemary Clooney, Ray Charles, Michael Feinstein, Linda Ronstadt, Debby Boone, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Bergeron, Terence Blanchard, Louis Bellson, Terry Gibbs, Dizzy Gillespie Tribute Big Band, Woody Herman Orchestra and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, where he is featured on their DVD, “Live at MCG.”  In his hometown, he has performed with guitarist Joe Negri, Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy Band, Pittsburgh Symphony, River City Brass Band, Pittsburgh Ballet and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble in addition to leading his own small groups.

Mike is the lead alto player of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, the city’s premier big band, where he composes and arranges most of the material that group performs.  In 2015, the band released its first CD, “Joyful Jazz,” on the MCG Jazz label; the album contains 11 holiday arrangements by Tomaro.  It has garnered rave reviews including a four-star rating in Downbeat magazine and was selected as one of the top seven holiday albums of 2015 by the Wall Street Journal. An upcoming album from this group is mentioned above.

Mike’s music has been performed by the likes of jazz greats David Liebman, Wayne Bergeron, Ivan Lins, Claudio Roditi, Mike Stern, Ernie Watts, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, New York Voices, Al Vizzutti, Diva Jazz Orchestra, Ray Angry, Ann Hampton-Callaway and many more, as well as high schools, colleges and universities around the world.  His orchestral arrangements have been performed by the Pittsburgh and National Symphony Orchestras.  Over 200 of his compositions and arrangements have been published by Doug Beach Music, Hal Leonard Publications, and eJazzlines.  In 2009, Mike scored the music for MCG/Opera Theater of Pittsburgh’s production of Duke Ellington’s musical “Beggar’s Holiday.” In 2018, he compiled, transcribed, re-orchestrated and arranged music for large jazz ensemble for the entirety of a 90-minute show for actor Keith David’s one man show, “Joe Williams: Here’s To Life.”

Mike has co-authored the textbook “Instrumental Jazz Arranging: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide” (Hal Leonard Publications), with his long-time mentor, Dr. John Wilson, who was Director of Jazz Studies at Duquesne University from 1972-1996.

Mike has been bestowed the honor of being inducted into the Pittsburgh Jazz Legends Hall of Fame and the Soka University Jazz Monsters Hall of Fame.

Mike is affiliated with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), Jazz Education Network (JEN) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).  Mike is in great demand both nationally and internationally as a guest soloist, adjudica­tor, and clinician.  For more information on his activities, visit his website at www.miketomaro.com.

Gear

Yamaha Soprano, Alto and Baritone Saxes

Yamaha Flute

Yamaha Clarinet and Bass Clarinet