Home > MUSIC > Mike Baggetta Quartet (with George Schuller, Eivind Opsvik, Jason Rigby)

• Tweet
• Outlook
• ICAL
• PRINT
• Email
• Feedback

• RSS

• Official Website
• Buy Tickets
• Add to My Favorites

Mike Baggetta Quartet (with George Schuller, Eivind Opsvik, Jason Rigby)

Presented by Lily Pad at Lily Pad

March 20, 2010

Add Review/Comment
Comment on Facebook

Mike Baggetta Quartet Saturday, March 20th 2010 The Lily Pad Cambridge, MA 10pm $10 www.lily-pad.net www.mikebaggetta.com Mike Baggetta - Guitar Jason Rigby - Saxophone Eivind Opsvik - Bass George Schuller - Drums

Seeking to reinterpret the state of the American Song through a 21st century filter, The Mike Baggetta Quartet performs Baggetta's original pieces with an intense focus on melody, group interaction and fearless improvisation. This ensemble features saxophonist Jason Rigby, bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer George Schuller. Mike's compositions for this ensemble draw inspiration from sources as varied as Keith Jarrett's "American Quartet", Leonard Cohen, Edward Hopper and Ornette Coleman. Small Spaces, the debut recording from the Mike Baggetta Quartet, is out now on Fresh Sound New Talent records. Guitarist Mike Baggetta is one of his generations 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 the first album of his works for the Mike Baggetta Quartet, Small Spaces, has recently been released 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, George Schuller, Jeff Hirshfield, Ken Filiano, Jamie Baum, Tony Reedus, Steve LaSpina, Bill McHenry, Matt Wilson, Ron McClure, Lukas Ligeti, 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 and Evans Custom Amplifiers. "This is a superb band...outstanding, and the performances are totally compelling." - Andy Hamilton, Jazz Journal (UK) "Guitarist/composer Baggetta is one of those subtle players. He does not overwhelm you with volume or seek to impress with fleet-fingered improvisations. Instead, each piece he performs creates new worlds of possibilities...utilizing approaches from many different genres but never sounding derivative of any one person or school." - Richard Kamins, The Hartford Courant "Mike is one of the best young improvisors on the NY scene..." - Vic Juris, Jazz Guitarist "As he demonstrates on his solid new album, “Small Spaces” (Fresh Sound New Talent), the guitarist Mike Baggetta seeks an adventurous but accessible dynamic in his music..." - Nate Chinen, The New York Times