Modest Orchestra

Some kids grow up with bedtime stories. Mike grew up with Stan Getz, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, and Louis Armstrong playing in the background—so really, he never stood a chance at a normal career. With a sax-playing grandfather and older brother, it was only a matter of time before he picked one up himself.

At age 10, thanks to the public school music program (shoutout to tax dollars well spent!), Mike started his lifelong love affair with the saxophone. High school expanded his influences to include Dexter Gordon, Earth Wind & Fire, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard—plus the '80s rock anthems that seemed to be programmed into every teenager’s DNA at the time.

Moving to San Francisco in the '90s, Mike got more serious about music, playing regularly with the Barney Farfel Quintet at Café Claude and the Bruno Pelletier Quartet at Café Bastille. He also rode the swing revival wave with Bob Dalpe & Jelly Roll bands, proving that swing never actually went out of style—just on extended vacation.

In the early 2000s, Mike recorded with The Stocchi Jazz Band on their album West of the Moon (2006). Since settling in Oakland, he’s been a fixture in the local scene, playing everything from New Orleans Second Line with MJ's Brass Boppers to funky blues with The Mighty Mules and as well as the Jeff Magidson Blues Band.

Oh, and did we mention he studied with the legendary Hal Stein for years? So yeah, the guy knows his way around a sax. Whether it’s sax or clarinet, Mike delivers a warm, inviting tone that channels his childhood heroes—except now, he’s the one setting the soundtrack.

Want to add some soulful, swinging, and downright infectious sax to your event? Mike’s your guy.