| Michael Stephans | |
| Birth Date: | 9 June 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Genre: | Jazz, avant-garde jazz |
| Occupation: | Musician, author, poet, educator |
| Instrument: | Drums, percussion |
| Years Active: | 1970s–present |
| Label: | Challenge, iTi, itm, Endemik, Lunazure, Whaling City Sound, Cryptogramophone Sunnyside Records, Origin Records |
| Associated Acts: | Bennie Maupin, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Bob Brookmeyer, Alan Broadbent, Don Menza |
Michael Stephans (born June 9, 1945) is an American jazz drummer, writer, poet and college professor.[1]
As a jazz drummer,[2] Stephans has performed and recorded with artists including Dave Liebman,[3] Bennie Maupin,[4] Joe Lovano, Bob Brookmeyer, Don Menza,[5] and Alan Broadbent.[6]
Stephans' first solo recording, Om ShalOM, was critically lauded in 2007 by UK critic Tom Barlow as an album of the year in the December 2007 – January 2008 issue of Jazzwise.[7]
Stephans has received multiple composition grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.[8] In 1974, this association afforded him the opportunity to write the large ensemble composition "Shapes and Visions" for vibraphonist Karl Berger, which was performed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.[9]
His poetry has been published in The Note,[10] and Inscape.[11] In 2000, he was given the Rachael Sherwood Poetry Prize by the department of English at Cal State Northridge.[12] He is the author of Experiencing Jazz: A Listener's Companion,[13] published in 2013 by Scarecrow Press.[14] and Experiencing Ornette Coleman: A Listener's Companion, published in 2017 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
He has taught at Pasadena City College, the University of Miami,[15] and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.[16]
| Year | Album | Personnel | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Om / ShalOM | Dave Liebman, Bennie Maupin, Munyungo Jackson, Scott Colley, Michael Stephans | Endemik | |
| 2010 | Open Spaces | Zack Brock, Jim Ridl, Steve Varner, Michael Stephans | Lunazure | |
| 2018 | Quartette Oblique | Michael Stephans, Dave Liebman, Marc Copland, Drew Gress | Sunnyside |
| Year | Album | Personnel | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Heads Up! | Bob Ojeda, Bob Sheppard, John Patitucci, Michael Stephans | iTi | |
| 2003 | Stay Out of the Sun | Bob Brookmeyer, Michael Stephans, Tom Warrington, Larry Koonse | Challenge | |
| 2009 | Nomads | David Liebman, Michael Stephans | ITM/Jazzwerkstatt | |
| 2013 | Lineage | Dave Liebman, Michael Stephans, Vic Juris, Matt Vashlishan, Bobby Avey, Evan Gregor | Whaling City Sound |
With Bob Brookmeyer
With Bob Dorough
With Bennie Maupin
With Matt Vashlishan
With Don Menza
• Menza Lines (Jazzed Media, 2005)
With Larry Gelb
With Frank Strazzeri Trio & Quartet
With Julie Andrews
With Jack Jones
With Bo Lozoff
| Title | Publication date | Pages | Publisher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experiencing Jazz: A Listener’s Companion | October 17, 2013 | 502 | Scarecrow Press | |
| Brookmeyer and Me: An Odyssey of Friendship | 2014 | 5 | The Note, V. 24, No. 1, 2014 | |
| Experiencing Ornette Coleman: A Listener's Companion | October 6, 2017 | 213 | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |