BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.10.5// X-WR-CALNAME:www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco X-WR-CALDESC:www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco X-WR-TIMEZONE:US/Pacific BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20130523T185443CEST-9197EuVV4V@www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco DTSTAMP:20130523T160543Z DESCRIPTION:Michael O&rsquo\;Neill\, a San Diego native\, began studying cl arinet at an early age. One of his first influences was his neighbor\, the great jazz and studio drummer\, saxophonist\, and clarinetist\, John Guer in who helped Michael with his first band in Junior High School. After the usual involvement with school bands and orchestras\, Michael did a stint in the Air Force Band. Later\, he entered college as a biology major with a music minor. He studied composition and arranging as well as jazz perfor mance while playing in clubs to pay for living expenses.\nAfter graduating from college\, Michael began a career in biology\, and then entered gradu ate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Insect Physiology at Texas A&\;M Univer sity. Once again\, Michael began playing music professionally for financia l and recreational reasons in his off hours. After two years of graduate s chool\, he decided to dedicate himself to a full time career in music (as with Duke Ellington\, music was Michael&rsquo\;s jealous mistress). Upon r eturning to the Bay Area\, he began studying with the great Joe Henderson while playing in dance bands\, salsa bands and doing local jazz gigs.\nMic hael became very involved with composition and formed groups to perform hi s original material. This started a trend that is ongoing today with his c urrent quintet which features vocalist extraordinaire Kenny Washington. Be sides jazz composition\, Michael&rsquo\;s interests have taken him into or chestral and ethnic musical forms. In the 1980's he began to write music f or corporate and industrial films\, which led to documentary and televisio n film scoring for which he now has a long list of credits.\nMichael now l eads several jazz groups in the Bay Area. He is in his fourth year of week ly performances with his quartet at the Ritz Carlton\, and recently conclu ded a seven year plus engagement with his quartet at Cetrella in Half Moon Bay. He has performed with several of the Bay Area&rsquo\;s leading big b ands\, including a two-year stint with the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. He plays frequently at all the leading jazz venues in the Bay Area including Yoshi&rsquo\;s San Francisco and Oakland\, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society\, and The Jazz School.\nThe Michael O'Neill Quartet featuring Kenn y Washington was a headliner at the 2011 San Jose Jazz Festival. In the re cent past he has performed frequently at Bay Area venues including Jazz at Pearl&rsquo\;s\, Anna&rsquo\;s Jazz Island\, the Jazz on the Hill Festiva l\, the Oakland Art and Soul Festival\, the San Jose Jazz Society Concert Series and many others as well as the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles.\nMichael has performed and/or recorded with Idris Muhammad\, Joe Locke\, Michael W olff\, Giacomo Gates\, Eddie Fisher\, Rodney Jones\, Kim Nalley\, Jackie R yan\, Tony Lindsay\, Margie Baker\, Akira Tana\, Faye Carol\, Brenda Boyki n\, Nicolas Bearde\, Jeff Chambers\, Rob Schneiderman\, Mark Levine\, Fran k Jackson\, Frank Martin\, Larry Dunlap\, Bobbi Norris\, Peter Horvath\, M att Clark\, Smith Dobson\, Don Haas\, Dave Mathews\, Michael Bluestein\, O mar Clay\, Scott Morris and many others.\nMichael&rsquo\;s major recording s include The Long and the Short of It featuring Kenny Washington\, Still Dancin&rsquo\; also featuring Kenny Washington with special guest Joe Lock e\, and Margie Baker and Friends Live at Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society . His CDs &ndash\; The Long and the Short of It and Still Dancin&rsquo\; & ndash\; continue to be praised by jazz DJs and fans across the country.\nF or more information\, visit his website here! DTSTART:20121110T200000 DTEND:20121110T220000 DURATION:PT3H LOCATION:San Francisco SUMMARY:Michael O'Neill END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR