Michael Weiss has been a prominent pianist and composer in jazz for over 30 years.
When discussing his experiences playing in Boston and at Scullers, Weiss recalled that his first performance at the venue featured saxophonist Junior Cook. He noted that his early years in New York included playing regularly with Cook, making it fitting to bring him to Boston, where Cook had spent time teaching at Berklee in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Weiss later returned to Scullers with a trio and has also performed multiple times at the Regattabar, including collaborations with Johnny Griffin and Art Farmer. His connection to Boston extends back to his teenage years when he attended Berklee for a summer at age 16.
Reflecting on his career, Weiss acknowledged the influence of working with renowned musicians such as George Coleman and Lou Donaldson. He explained that moving to New York was motivated by a desire to play alongside such figures. His first major opportunity came through Junior Cook, with whom he played regularly before joining his quintet for tours in Europe. From that experience, Lou Donaldson discovered Weiss and began hiring him.
Playing alongside these jazz legends, Weiss emphasized, offered invaluable learning experiences. He described how each musician had a distinctive musical and personal presence, embodying jazz’s emphasis on individuality. As an accompanist, he noted that the role involves not just supporting but also complementing the soloist, creating opportunities for both collaboration and personal expression.
Looking ahead to his upcoming performance at Scullers on the 15th at 7 p.m., Weiss shared that the set would include selections from his latest recording, Homage, released on the Cellar Live label. The performance will be in a trio format, featuring bassist Joey Ranieri, a talented young musician from Chicago, and drummer Pete Van Nostrand.
Weiss’s musical journey began at the age of six when his mother enrolled him in piano lessons. While receiving classical training, he also developed an early interest in pop music, particularly The Beatles. He quickly learned to play songs by ear, foreshadowing his later affinity for jazz, which he discovered at 15 and embraced fully.
In the early 1990s, Weiss shifted more focus toward composition. However, he noted that he did not take composition seriously until the mid-90s, when he began writing for a new generation of talented musicians. He credited a pivotal experience in the mid-’90s, hearing Wayne Shorter’s group perform after the release of High Life, as a transformative moment in his compositional development. Witnessing the intricate arrangements of Shorter’s music opened his perspective on blending jazz, classical, and rock influences without artificial genre boundaries.
A significant milestone in Weiss’s compositional career came when he won the Thelonious Monk Institute’s composition competition. He recalled being surprised by the recognition and was honored when Wayne Shorter personally presented him with the award at the Kennedy Center in 2000.
As Weiss prepares for his upcoming performance, he expressed enthusiasm about playing for a full audience, noting that an engaged crowd provides inspiration and elevates the musicians’ performances.
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