Speakers

One of the most striking qualities of Mike Bond’s superb debut recording, The Honorable Ones, is the understated, sophisticated way in which the 30-year-old pianist-composer subsumes his abundant technique for imperatives of beauty and self-expression. This springs directly from his personal influences and history. Bond, a Rutgers University graduate, received the Excellence in Jazz Performance Award and the Arthur G. Humphrey award for Music Education in 2012. Bond met Orrin Evans, who serves as Artistic Producer of The Honorable Ones. He graduated with a Bachelor's of Music Degree in both Jazz Performance and Music Education. In addition to periodically hiring Bond to play piano in his Captain Black Big Band, Evans recommended him to bass maestro Curtis Lundy, who hired Bond for his first New York engagement. Meanwhile, Bond spent two years working for SmallsLIVE, the imprint of Smalls Jazz Club, where he learned to produce albums and video-edit, while meeting numerous musicians, promoters and producers. These days, Bond boasts a c.v. that includes shows with the magisterial tap dancer Savion Glover, trombone giant Conrad Herwig, masters like saxophonists Mark Gross, Jerry Weldon and Bruce Williams and trumpeters Joe Magnarelli and Duane Eubanks, rhythm section greats including drummer Billy Kilson, Byron Landham and Matthew Parrish. He is a featured sideman on guitarist Jean Chaumont’s debut album “The Beauty Of Differences” which received a 4 star review in Downbeat Magazine. His debut album "The Honorable Ones" dropped in February 2020. - Ted Panken (edited)