Meet Mike Lee:
Mike Lee is a tenor saxophonist originally from Cleveland, OH and now living in Northern New Jersey. He's currently leader of the Cecil's Monday Night Big Band at Cecil's Jazz Club in West Orange New Jersey and co-leader of the acclaimed jazz quartet, New Tricks. He has released five albums as leader or co- leader, recorded as a sideman on albums by such jazz luminaries as Joe Lovano Joe Lovano
b.1952
saxophone and Eliot Zigmund Eliot Zigmund

drums . Active as a jazz educator, Lee gives clinics on jazz improvisation at schools and universities around the country, and serves as Coordinator of Music Programming for Jazz House Kids, a nonprofit education organization based in Montclair, NJ. Performance credits include gigs with the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Maria Schneider Maria Schneider

band/orchestra , T.S. Monk T.S. Monk
b.1949
drums , Christian McBride Christian McBride
b.1972
bass , Billy Hart Billy Hart
b.1940
drums , Woody Herman Woody Herman
1913 - 1987
band/orchestra Orchestra, Dave Douglas Dave Douglas
b.1963
trumpet , Eddie Allen Eddie Allen

trumpet , Michele Rosewoman Michele Rosewoman
b.1953
piano , Loston Harris Loston Harris
, and many others. Currently Lee tours extensively with New Tricks, while maintaining a busy schedule of gigs in the New York City area.

Instrument(s):
Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone.

Teachers and/or influences?
Studied with Joe Lovano, Rick Van Matre, Howie Smith Howie Smith

saxophone .

Many many influences, Ben Webster Ben Webster
1909 - 1973
sax, tenor , Lester Young Lester Young
1909 - 1959
saxophone , Charlie Parker Charlie Parker
1920 - 1955
sax, alto , John Coltrane John Coltrane
1926 - 1967
saxophone , Charles Lloyd Charles Lloyd
b.1938
saxophone , Stanley Turrentine Stanley Turrentine
1934 - 2000
sax, tenor , Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter
b.1933
saxophone , Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet
1897 - 1959
sax, soprano , Miles Davis Miles Davis
1926 - 1991
trumpet , Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon
1923 - 1990
sax, tenor , etc. etc.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...
I heard Johnny Griffin Johnny Griffin
1928 - 2008
sax, tenor play a concert at Cleveland State University, when I was in High School

Your sound and approach to music:
I believe in a big sound with a lot of warmth. The key is plenty of air! When I perform I attempt to stay present and responsive to the playing of the other musicians while referencing our shared listening experience.

Your teaching approach:
Jazz is a language. Too many students are confused by the term "improvising" which is a term that is often misunderstood. I stress the acquisition of jazz language as the primary function of the budding improviser. I feel that music theory is most useful as a way to explain what musicians do, but must constantly reference and adjust to information garnered directly from the recordings of the masters we emulate through listening and transcribing.

Your dream band:
I always dreamed of being in a band like New Tricks: four good friends with similar values who love playing and touring together with strong ideas, but a willingness to try new approaches.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:
Playing at the Blue Wisp in Cincinnati in the mid-'90s, I opened the third set with a spirited version of "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise." As I finished my solo, I stepped to the side of the band stand fairly pleased with my chorus. The club's dog decided to take his chorus and jumped onto the band stand replacing me in front of the horn mike.

Unfortunately the pooch didn't play saxophone or trumpet and presented the only offering available to him; he did this in plain sight of the entire audience. The bassist didn't smell it and continued playing with his eyes closed. A brave waiter ran up and cleaned up the "offering," and we had a tough time convincing the bassist that all this happened. I thanked the waiter profusely, but refrained from shaking his hand. After the tune, not knowing what to say, I leaned into the mike and said, "everybody is a critic."

Favorite venue:
So many, it's too hard to pick one. Village Vanguard is pretty great as is Smalls. Cecil's Jazz Club in West Orange, New Jersey has meant so much to me over the past four years. But the clubs in Italy? Oh my! The way the wine and food flows, hard to argue with that...

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?
The latest New Tricks release, Alternate Side, was recorded after five weeks of touring and playing the original music nightly. By the time we recorded, the music was so easy to play that we could put all our energy into the performance, while staying engaged in the moment. I had always wanted to record this way, and the results were everything I imagined they could be.

The first Jazz album I bought was:
Dexter Gordon, Tower of Power.

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