Mike Crotty

A versatile instrumentalist, bandleader, composer and arranger, conductor and music producer, Mike Crotty and his music can be heard in a wide variety of forums.  A multi-instrumentalist, Crotty plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones and woodwinds. During his Air Force career, he often subbed on the Airmen of Note, playing all of the saxophone chairs and three trumpet chairs. He has performed with a myriad of entertainers including Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Diana Ross, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, George Burns, Maureen McGovern, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joe Williams, Sonny Stitt, Mel Lewis, Al Cohn, Phil Wilson, Tom Harrell, Pete Christlieb, Claudio Roditi, Bob Mintzer, The Temptations and the Four Tops.

From 1972-1998, while serving as the composer/ arranger for the U.S. Air Force's premiere 18-piece jazz band, the Airmen of Note, Crotty became widely recognized as one of the top composer/arrangers in the jazz field today. He has arranged music for hundreds of albums and CD's as well as performances for such artists as Clark Terry, Billy Taylor, Mel Lewis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, Bunky Green, Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, Ronnie Cuber, Claudio Roditi, Phil Wilson, Bob Berg, Jerry Bergonzi, Eric Alexander, Scott Wendholt, Sheila Jordan and Diane Schuur. Appearing as bandleader, instrumentalist, composer and arranger, he showcased his music for years with his 18-piece Sunday Morning Jazz Band, an ensemble applauded for its compelling innovation, musical superiority and artistic integrity.

The Smithsonian Collection, "Big Band Renaissance: The Evolution of the Jazz Orchestra," includes Crotty's piece, "Noel." Dizzy Gillespie commissioned Crotty to arrange the music for a special performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which was later recorded as "The Symphony Sessions." Crotty completed the piece, "Journey Inward," for The Commission Project to feature the Prism Brass Quintet and saxophone soloist, Chris Vadala. It was premiered at the Eastman School of Music. Crotty has also orchestrated music for the nationally syndicated television show, National Geographic Explorer.

Mike Crotty has played with the National Symphony Orchestra Pops for 15 years. Since 1984 he has toured the country with singer, Deater O'Neill and jazz trio, appearing in night clubs, jazz festivals and concerts with symphony orchestras, wind ensembles and jazz bands. Performance highlights include the Kool Jazz Festival, the Smithsonian Institute, a concert series representing the nation's capital in Bangkok, Thailand, the National Press Club, a month as artists-in-residence at the J. F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts presenting a series of five concerts, Washington, D.C.'s Blues Alley, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the first Ella Fitzgerald Music Festival in Newport News, Va., and the Jazz Times Convention in NYC.

Crotty is also in demand as an educator and adjudicator, having presented clinics and concerts at high schools, colleges and universities throughout the country for over 25 years. He has presented numerous clinics for the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) at annual and regional conventions. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he currently serves as Senior Lecturer in Jazz Composition and Brass at Arizona State University.