Million Quartet

media release: Steve Million has lived and worked in Chicago since 1988, having previously resided in Kansas City, Mo., and New York City. Steve grew up in Boonville, Mo. and after graduating high school in 1972 he attended North Texas State University for one year to study jazz piano. Steve then moved to Kansas City in 1973 and attended UMKC where he studied music composition with Gerald Kemner and also studied classical and jazz piano with George Salisbury. During these early years in KC Steve became known as a jazz pianist as well as a composer and arranger. Steve led several bands in KC including Four Friends (with Steve Cardenas) and the Mighty Lizards, an 8 piece horn band. Steve also performed with many local bands including working with the great Carmel Jones (trumpet with Horace Silver on Song For My Father). Steve moved to NYC in 1981 and lived there for two years making in-roads into the jazz music scene of New York. After returning to KC in 1984 Steve was offered the job of musical director for the very well known KC blues and jazz singer Ida McBeth. From 1984 until 1988 Steve was working 6 nights a week at many KC and midwestern venues with the great Ida McBeth. In 1988, he was a semi-finalist in the internationally renowned Thelonious Monk Piano Competition. He was one of 24 semi-finalists chosen from all over the world to compete. After competing in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition Steve moved to Chicago to seek new challenges. At the competition Steve had met Michael Kocour (who currently runs the jazz program at Arizona State University). Michael, a native of Chicago, and Steve formed the legendary double keyboard band Monk’s Dream with drummer Robert Shy (played with Roland Kirk). This band played many gigs in and around Chicago and played the main stage of the 1992 Chicago Jazz Festival. In 1995, Steve landed a recording contract with Palmetto Records. He recorded three records between 1995 and 2000 for that label (Million to One, Thanks a Million and Truth Is) that featured the talents of such greats as Chris Potter, Randy Brecker, Dick Oatts, Steve Cardenas, Michael Moore, and Ron Vincent to name a few. During the 2000s Steve was still busy recording and leading bands. He recorded his first and only piano trio record Poetic Necessities on BluJazz in 2003. He formed the very successful sextet BakerzMillion with trombonist Andy Baker in 2005. This band released two CDs - “Mood Point” in 2008 and “Live in Racine” on Delmark in 2022. Steve recorded his only solo piano record in 2008 for Origin Records entitled “Remembering the Way Home.” In 2016 Steve formed a band with the great vocalist Sarah Marie Young called JazzWords. Their CD entitled “Steve Million’s JazzWords featuring Sarah Marie Young” was released in 2021. Sarah and Steve are currently working on their second release. Steve also reunited with his old friend Steve Cardenas to make a record in NYC entitled “What I Meant To Say” released on Origin Records in 2021. Steve also formed the Million Quartet featuring the great jazz violinist Mark Feldman. They released their first CD on Calligram Records entitled “Perfectly Spaced” in 2023 and are currently working on their second release. From 2005 until 2024 Steve played a five night a week steady jazz gig at Catch 35 in downtown Chicago with his good friend Eric Hochberg on bass that featured a different guest artist every night! 

Violinist Mark Feldman is an active performer in the worlds of Jazz, Improvised Music and 20th Century Contemporary Music. In 2007 He was awarded the Alpert Prize in Music. In 2004 he received a grammy certificate for his performance on Michel Brecker’s Verve Album “Wide Angles”. Mark Feldman Premiered the Violin Concerto of Guus Janssen as soloist with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in the Contemporary Music Festival Nederland Muziek Dagen and The Symphony Orchestra of Einhoven Netherlands. He also premiered the Concerto for Violin and Jazz Orchestra of Bill Dobbins with the WDR Big Band of Koln Germany. A european tour of that piece included a sold out concert in the Grosse Saal of the Vienna Concert House. In years past he has also been a soloist with the WDR Radio Orchestra and the Basil Symphonetta. I As a member of the John Abercrombie Quartet, In addition to international concert tours the resulting recordings “Open Land” “Cat n’ Mouse” and “Class Trip” “The Third Quartet” “Wait Till You See Her”all on ECM records. John Zorn has included him in many concert and recording projects over the past 10 years including The Masada String Trio, Bar Kokhba , film scores, chamber music and performances of the Game Piece “Cobra”. In 2001 he performed 6 concerts in Duo with Pianist Paul Bley in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Series. In 2004 he performed in the Trio of Painist-Composer Muhul Richard Abrams at Alice Tully Hall. In past years he was also a member of groups lead by saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Billy Hart, Trumpeter Dave Douglas ,Pianist Uri Caine, Among others. Mr. Feldman is found on over 150 jazz recordings as a soloist including his own releases “What Exit” (ECM) “To Fly To Steal” (Intakt) “Hotel Du Nord”(Intakt) “Music for Violin Alone” (Tzadik), “Oblivia” (tzadik), “Book of Tells” (enja), As a composer he has been commissioned and performed by the Kronos Quartet and the WDR Radio Orchestra. For six Years he received the first place award for “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” in Down Beat magazine’s critics poll. In commercial music he has appeared as a studio musician with such groups as Cheryl Crow, The Manhattan Transfer, Diana Ross and Carol King among others. Before moving to New York City in 1986, Mr. Feldman lived in Nashville Tennessee where he was a member of the ensembles that traveled and accompanied country western singers Loretta Lynn and Ray Price. In Nashville as a studio musician he appeared on over 200 Recordings including albums by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis and Television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. 

Eric Hochberg is an in demand performer on the Chicago and International music scenes for over forty years, Eric Hochberg has lent his bass work, arranging, composing and producing skills to a variety of projects across the realms of jazz, folk, rock and blues. Eric has performed or recorded with musical greats Pharoah Sanders, Bobby McFerrin, Barbra Streisand, Cassandra Wilson, Kurt Elling, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan, Von Freeman, Terry Callier, Ken Nordine ”Word Jazz”, Joshua Red-man, Howard Levy, Patricia Barber, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Sam Rivers, and many others. The Eric Hochberg Trio, featuring an impressive cast of top jazz performers, played nightly at Catch 35 Chicago for thirteen years until its closing in 2024. They have also served as collaborators with the Chicago Human Rhythm Project's JUBA and Holiday Rhythm concerts for nine years. Eric has the distinction of performing in the bands of three of the four members of the Pat Metheny Group - a tour in 1977 with Pat, a long association with drummer Paul Wertico, and a Latin American tour with the Lyle Mays Quartet in 1992. Eric has played at the jazz festivals of Montreal, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago (24times), Montreux/Swiss, UK/ London, Free Jazz Fest/Brazil, Leverkeusen/Germany, World Music Festival/Barcelona, Rome Jazz, Blues and Roots/Aus, Elkhart Jazz, and concerts and clubs worldwide. His band StringThing performed for the 2022 In-ternational Society of Bassists Virtual Festival and 2023 Chicago Jazz Festival. He appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show three times, with Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban with Johnny Mathis, and Gloria Estefan. The Eric Hochberg Orchestra was the band for the City of Chicago’s 5000 guest “Chicago Welcomes the World” Mil-lennium Celebration and played for countless special events. Eric produced vocalist Jackie Allen's 2006 debut Blue Note Records release, Tangled, and her 2003 release The Men in My Life. Eric also worked extensively with legendary singer-songwriter Terry Callier, producing the critically ac-claimed albums Lookin' Out, on Emarcy Records and TC in DC on Premonition Records. Eric has played on over 1000 jingle, television and movie soundtrack recording sessions and 100 album projects. He maintains an active private teaching studio where students of all levels learn the jazz language and apply it to their music. He taught at the Merit School of Music in Chicago 2011-2017 and was Director of the Merit Jazz Band for five years. Eric has served on various Craft Committees for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (GRAMMY AWARDS) 2006-2008. 

Bob Rummage is one of the busiest musicians in Chicago. He maintains a versatile schedule of performances with a variety of Chicago ensembles ranging from the Metropolitan Jazz Octet to the eclectic styles of Alfonso Ponticelli. He has performed with many internationally known musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderly, Benny Golson, Buddy DeFranco, Bela Fleck and Mississippi blues man, Mose Allison. His experience in the studio includes national television commercials for Cheez-Its, Gallo wines and AT&T as well as numerous CD appearances with Frank Mantooth, Steve Weist, Rob Parton, Colby/Caruso, Bob Lark and Steve Million. Mr. Rummage is a much sought after clinician having made appearances at various high schools and colleges including the University of Illinois, University of Kentucky, Emporia State, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the Music For All camp at Illinois State. He is currently performing with a variety of Chicago musicians.