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:20130525T180928CEST-5782HvfwNw@www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco DTSTAMP:20130525T160528Z 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\, th e great jazz and studio drummer\, saxophonist\, and clarinetist\, John Gu erin who helped Michael with his first band in Junior High School. After the usual involvement with school bands and orchestras\, Michael did a st int 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 performance while playing in clubs to pay for living expenses.\nAfter gra duating from college\, Michael began a career in biology\, and then enter ed graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Insect Physiology at Texas A&\ ;M University. Once again\, Michael began playing music professionally fo r financial and recreational reasons in his off hours. After two years of graduate school\, he decided to dedicate himself to a full time career i n music (as with Duke Ellington\, music was Michael&rsquo\;s jealous mist ress). Upon returning to the Bay Area\, he began studying with the great Joe Henderson while playing in dance bands\, salsa bands and doing local jazz gigs.\nMichael became very involved with composition and formed group s to perform his original material. This started a trend that is ongoing today with his current quintet which features vocalist extraordinaire Ke nny Washington. Besides jazz composition\, Michael&rsquo\;s interests have taken him into orchestral and ethnic musical forms. In the 1980's he be gan to write music for corporate and industrial films\, which led to docu mentary and television film scoring for which he now has a long list of c redits.\nMichael now leads several jazz groups in the Bay Area. He is in h is fourth year of weekly performances with his quartet at the Ritz Carlto n\, and recently concluded a seven year plus engagement with his quartet at Cetrella in Half Moon Bay. He has performed with several of the Bay A rea&rsquo\;s leading big bands\, including a two-year stint with the Cont emporary Jazz Orchestra. He plays frequently at all the leading jazz venu es in the Bay Area including Yoshi&rsquo\;s San Francisco and Oakland\, th e Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society\, and The Jazz School.\nThe Michael O 'Neill Quartet featuring Kenny Washington was a headliner at the 2011 San Jose Jazz Festival. In the recent past he has performed frequently at Ba y Area venues including Jazz at Pearl&rsquo\;s\, Anna&rsquo\;s Jazz Islan d\, the Jazz on the Hill Festival\, the Oakland Art and Soul Festival\, t he San Jose Jazz Society Concert Series and many others as well as the Ja zz Bakery in Los Angeles.\nMichael has performed and/or recorded with Idri s Muhammad\, Joe Locke\, Michael Wolff\, Giacomo Gates\, Eddie Fisher\, R odney Jones\, Kim Nalley\, Jackie Ryan\, Tony Lindsay\, Margie Baker\, Ak ira Tana\, Faye Carol\, Brenda Boykin\, Nicolas Bearde\, Jeff Chambers\, Rob Schneiderman\, Mark Levine\, Frank Jackson\, Frank Martin\, Larry Dun lap\, Bobbi Norris\, Peter Horvath\, Matt Clark\, Smith Dobson\, Don Haas \, Dave Mathews\, Michael Bluestein\, Omar Clay\, Scott Morris and many o thers.\nMichael&rsquo\;s major recordings include The Long and the Short o f It featuring Kenny Washington\, Still Dancin&rsquo\; also featuring Ken ny Washington with special guest Joe Locke\, 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.\nFor more information\, visit h is website here! DTSTART:20121123T200000 DTEND:20121123T220000 DURATION:PT3H LOCATION:San Francisco SUMMARY:Michael O'Neill END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR