ABOUT MICHAEL COTTONE



Michael Anthony Cottone was born and raised in Rochester, New York on May 11, 1985. With the sounds of Motown ringing in his ears, Mike began his journey into music at a very early age. He began trumpet at ten years old in the Rush-Henrietta School district where his main influence was his high school band director, Mr. Daniel McMurray. Through McMurray's advice and inspiration, Mike began to explore jazz trumpet and develop his own soulful sound and passion for the music.

In 2003 Mike was accepted at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. As a double degree student in Jazz Performance and Music Education, it was there that Mike honed his talents under the direction of trumpet teachers Clay Jenkins and Douglas Prosser. While playing in the Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, and the Downbeat award winning Eastman Jazz Ensemble, Mike shared the stage with jazz giants such as Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Rufus Reid, Ralph LaLama, Dick Oats, Peter Erskin, Dave Liebman, Gary Versace, Ben Monder, and Marian McPartland. Mike has recently studied with the likes of Dan McMurray, Howard Rowe, Clay Jenkins, Rich Thompson, Marcus Printup, John Sneider, Bob Sneider, Jeff Campbell, Nicholas Payton, Shane Endsley, Jim Rotundi, Terell Stafford, Snooky Young, and Richie Vitale.

Mike has performed and worked in various settings such as The Cab Calloway Big Band, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, The Grand Hotel Orchestra on Mackinac Island, MI, and was recently featured in the Rochester International Jazz Festival with his quartet. Mike also won the solo jazz chair audition with the US Air Force Band of Liberty based in Boston, MA, but had to decline to complete his studies at The Eastman School of Music. In August of 2007 Mike was 1st runner up in an audition for the Navy's premier jazz ensemble, The Navy Commodores.

Mike is a strong performer on the Rochester scene and can be heard playing at numerous locations throughout the city. He can be found weekly on Thursday nights with The Dave Rivello Ensemble at the Village Rock Cafe in East Rochester, as well as Friday evenings at the Penfield Wegmans Market Cafe. He has recently completed his New York State teaching certification and is teaching music in the Greece Central School District along with conducting private lessons. He currently has his sights on New York City where he will pursue a masters degree in jazz performance in the fall of 2008. Being one of the most humble and soulful young jazz trumpeters around, Mike Cottone must be heard. Check out his music here and don't hesitate to contact him.