Michael Sarian Quartet

media release: Michael Sarian has been praised for his "unique compositional and instrumental voice" (Friedrich Kunzmann, All About Jazz) and his "endlessly renewable strain of lyric improvisation regardless of context or material." (Peter Margasak, Downbeat Magazine).

Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, Michael relocated to New York City in 2012. Michael has performed at some of the most iconic international stages, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Getxo Blues Festival in Spain, Teatro Colón in Argentina, and at some of New York City's most beloved venues such as the Blue Note Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, BRIC JazzFest, The Beacon Theater, and Central Park SummerStage. He has appeared on WNYC's Soundcheck with John Schaefer, NPR's World Cafe, and many more.

Michael's artistic output is as diverse as his background: he has released two albums with his quartet on ears&eyes Records which "create alternatively forceful and haunting sounds that dwell outside of the jazz mainstream in their own realm of beauty” (Jerome Wilson, AllAboutJazz), has released several duet recordings with pianist Matthew Putman on 577Records, electronic avant-garde music with Barcelona based pianist Olec Mün on piano and coffee records, and several albums with his septet Michael Sarian & The Chabones, most recently LEÓN in 2018 with ZOHO Music, a "remarkably strong foundation for some thrilling group improvisation and interplay." (Brian Zimmerman, JAZZIZ Magazine)

He also performs regularly with his big band, Michael Sarian & The Big Chabones, is a stable member of The NYChillharmonic, the Bette Smith band, among other collaborations and projects. In 2020, Michael was a semifinalist at the prestigious DCJazzPrix, a 2020 Performer-Composer in Residence at Westben Centre for Connection & Creativity, and artist in residence at Culture Lab LIC for the winter/spring 2022 season.