Michael Sarian

Trumpeter and composer Michael Sarian has been praised for his “unique compositional and instrumental voice” (Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz) and his “endlessly renewable strain of lyric improvisation regardless of context or material.” (Peter Margasak, Downbeat Magazine).

Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, Michael relocated to New York City in 2012, where he studied with Laurie Frink, Ralph Alessi and Mike Rodriguez. Michael has performed at some of the most iconic international stages, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, Teatro Colón in Argentina, Blue Note Jazz Club, BRIC JazzFest, Central Park SummerStage, and has appeared on WNYC’s Soundcheck with John Schaefer, NPR’s World Café. In 2020, Michael was a semifinalist at the prestigious DCJazzPrix, a 2020 Performer-Composer in Residence at Westben Centre for Connection & Creativity, and artist in residence at Culture Lab LIC for the winter/spring 2022 season.

Michael’s artistic output is as diverse as his background: he has released two albums with his quartet on ears&eyes Records which “create alternatively forceful and haunting sounds that dwell outside of the jazz mainstream in their own realm of beauty” (Jerome Wilson, AllAboutJazz), has released several duet recordings with pianist Matthew Putman on 577Records, electronic avant-garde music with Barcelona based pianist Olec Mün on piano and coffee records, and several albums with his septet Michael Sarian & The Chabones, most recently LEÓN in 2018 with ZOHO Music, a “remarkably strong foundation for some thrilling group improvisation and interplay.” (Brian Zimmerman, JAZZIZ Magazine)

Michael Sarian plays a Grizzly trumpet from Del Quadro Custom Trumpets