Solo Saxophone Vol. 1

Live at An Die Musik

Purchase on Bandcamp / Preview Here

Derrick Michaels: tenor & soprano saxophones, compositions

SOLO:

“10 years ago to the day, I played my first improvised solo saxophone set — at the Red Room in Baltimore.

Playing "a Capella" on a monophonic instrument is a tall order. There's no one to lean on, no one to borrow ideas from, no one to defer to. It's you, your instrument, the acoustic space, and the music, itself.

My solo performing experience brought me the honor of opening for Susan Alcorn's "Soledad" release (again at Red Room), and also the release show for Dave Ballou's "Solo Trumpet", both in 2015. These felt like the apex of what I might accomplish "alone", but I had this gnawing sense of dissatisfaction that I wasn’t going deep enough with the horn just yet. The music felt constricted by my limitations.

I spent the several years that followed collaborating with a ton of amazing creative people and soaking up their creative mojo, but I always relished my time alone — with a horn in a room — to reconcile where I was with where I wanted to be. By early 2020, I felt ready to take the solo venture seriously again, and we know what happened in March of that year...I got what I wanted, one way or another; plenty of time alone.

I am grateful to the folks who have supported this year's solo recording debut, and I appreciate the warm and uplifting feedback I've gotten from other musicians and listeners, alike.

It's incredible to have the gift of this opportunity to figure out who I am, and to have this music as such a great teacher along the way.

With that said...even when we are playing totally alone, one note at a time, everything we play is a reflection of all we've ever heard, and everyone we've ever played with. It's all in there, in our sound, our pacing, our conception. Our idea of our musical identity is an amalgam of our full gamut of collaborative experience.

So thank you to all of my collaborators from my youth up to today. I wouldn't be ME without YOU!”

Derrick Michaels, 2022

What People Are Saying:

“The greatest challenge for any musician is to play solo. There's no one else to support you, or hide behind. You can't take a break, or coast. You hear who an artist is, what they have to offer, and their will, when they play solo. Lester Bowie used to say you can hear every second of every minute of every hour a musician has practiced when they play a ballad. The same holds true playing by yourself. That's why very few attempt it, and even fewer thrive in that context. Please listen to my friend Derrick Michaels' new record. You’ll enjoy the journey.”

-Drummer Steve Olson

“Great record! Highly recommended!!!! I’ve been enjoying this recording for weeks now.”

- Drummer Tony Martucci

“It’s a thoroughly beautiful record. Intimate, warm, adventurous.”

- Saxophonist Nathan Hanson

“The sound is glorious Derrick. And the soprano track is superb.”

-Saxophonist Julien Wilson

“I LOVE your new solo release, it's gorgeous.”

-Saxophonist Catherine Sikora

“Been sitting on my desk a while waiting for an opportune moment, but finally listening to Derrick Michaels solo record - it's fantastic! Great tone and ideas and moods. Well done, Derrick!”

-Ian Raskin, President, Baltimore Jazz Alliance