Michael McNeill – piano
Ken Filiano – bass
Phil Haynes – drums

Pianist Michael McNeill has cultivated a personal style that has found a home in contexts both mainstream and avant-garde, from the ethereal chamber-jazz sounds of resAUnance, to the post-bop energy of Kelly Bucheger’s What Would Mingus Do?, and in his own music for his trio with veteran improvisers Ken Filiano (bass) and Phil Haynes (drums) and for the Buffalo Jazz Octet. His two CDs with Filiano and Haynes have drawn praise from critics in the US and abroad, who note that the band plays “thoughtful… interactive music that is seriously playful” (StepTempest), “brimming with intelligence and passion” (AllAboutJazz.com), and that the trio “has much to offer not only to jazz or classical music, but music as a whole” (Music On The Run, Brazil). The recent debut albums of resAUnance and the Buffalo Jazz Octet have also been well-received by critics: resAUnance’s Migration made critic Budd Kopman’s “Best Releases of 2016” list, while Tom Hull graded the Buffalo Jazz Octet’s PausaLive an A-, calling the band “a remarkable large free jazz ensemble, with … brisk and energetic group improv that never breaks down.” Other projects and collaborations have included concerts with Dave Ballou, Juini Booth, Joe Ford, Drew Gress, Paul Smoker, and David Taylor. Forthcoming recordings include a trio album with bassist Danny Ziemann and drummer John Bacon featuring compositions of Thelonious Monk.