Similar Artists:
Worked With:
- Genres: Rock
- Instrument: Sax (Tenor)
Biography
Covering a range from piccolo to bass clarinet and baritone saxophone, the reed mastery of Mike Altschul seems well-established on the West Coast, his phone ringing from the most demanding of employers. This list has included the Beach Boys and its producer-cum-genius Brian Wilson, as well as big band leader Don Ellis, whose charts carry time signatures with more numbers in them then the combined ATM codes of an entire city. Altschul graduated from California State University in Los Angeles in 1967 and went on tour with Stan Kenton shortly thereafter -- perhaps the on-the-job training required for this assignment alone prepared him for any and all maestros to follow.After leaving Kenton in 1969, he collaborated with trumpeter Nat Adderley and soulful pianist Bobby Bryant before working with two demanding arrangers, the aforementioned Ellis and the less-flamboyant, more tasteful Gerald Wilson. In terms of interest, Altschul seems tilted toward the latter man, at least in terms of frequency of involvement. On the other hand, the reedman's eventual involvement with Frank Zappa's large band projects such as Waka/Jawaka throws the entire discussion out of balance. He could have taken on that assignment simply to be remembered, since practically every shred of information concerning Altschul comes from the camp of Zappa followers. The bottom line seems to be that he is a professional sessionman, ready to take on any assignment. He shows up on recordings by singer/songwriter Carole King, played in many television orchestras, and has been involved in several fine projects directed by composer, arranger, and vibraphonist Terry Gibbs. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
