Remembering Matt Michaels

BY LARS BJORN

att Michaels passed away November 2 at age 79 after a long struggle with cancer. He was an important figure on the Detroit jazz scene since the early 1950s when he played the legendary Bowlodrome with the likes of Wardell Gray, Frank Rosolino, the DeVito brothers, and Pepper Adams. At the ‘Drome he also backed singers (like Anita O'Day), which became one of his specialties. He was often interviewed about his mixed experiences backing a young Barbra Streisand at the Caucus Club where he was the house pianist for eight years. Among the more jazz-oriented vocalists he backed were Barbara McNair, Eartha Kitt, Peggy Lee and Carmen McRae.

Michaels was the musical director of a band that included bassist Dan Pliskow and drummer Art Mardigan at the Playboy Club from 1964 to 1972 and at both Channels 2 and 7. He was for many years a regular member of groups led by Jack Brokensha, Johnny Trudell, and Jerry McKenzie. He recorded several CDs with his own trio of bassist Dan Jordan and drummer McKenzie.

It was probably as an educator that Matt Michaels had his major impact on the local jazz scene. He was one of the originators of the Wayne State University Jazz program in 1979 which he retired from in 2007. In that year he was the recipient of SEMJA's Ron Brooks Award for his contributions to the Detroit jazz community as a performer and educator. For our celebration at Baker's he performed with Dan Jordan, Jerry McKenzie and WSU colleague and former student Russ Miller on tenor sax. In 2001 Michaels also received an award from the Michigan Jazz Festival at Schoolcraft College, where he was a regular performer. Mitch Albom wrote a very heartfelt piece celebrating Michaels in the Detroit Free Press aptly called "Music Instructor's Life A Beautiful Melody" (November 3).

I had the privilege of knowing Matt over the last twenty years and was not only impressed with his musical abilities but his gentle and warm personality. I am clearly not alone in missing him.