A veritable "Ambassador of Jazz", Michael Tracy is one of America's foremost jazz educators, with more than thirty-five years of performing and teaching experience. In the classrooms, studios and concert halls, Mr. Tracy has developed a variety of innovative approaches to jazz education, enabling him to work with music students of any proficiency. Michael has traveled throughout the United States, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Singapore and Wales as a performer and educator. During the fall of 2004, Mr. Tracy helped to establish a jazz program at the Estonian Music Academy in Tallinn, Estonia as a Fulbright Senior Specialist. In addition, he has recently coordinated a program sponsored by Open World, National Endowment for the Arts and the Library of Congress which hosted eight visiting Russian jazz musicians.

Mr. Tracy is a Professor of Music and Jazz at the University of Louisville School of Music in Louisville, Kentucky where he teaches saxophone and is Director of the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program. In addition to these duties, he is actively involved with student teaching and related areas in the music education department. He also serves as a faculty mentor to both music and non-music students. Mr. Tracy received the University of Louisville's 2000 Distinguished Faculty Service and 1999 Red Apple Awards, 1996 School of Music Alumni Service Award, and is a member of the 2005 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and 2000 Who's Who in Executives and Professionals.

For over thirty years, Mr. Tracy has been a member of the renowned Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop staff. He has taught combo, jazz theory and saxophone master classes along side the world's leading jazz educators.

Mr. Tracy has recently released to two CDs on the SeaBreeze label - 'GUSTING' (July 2004 - SB-3071) featuring a variety of contemporary compositions and 'TRACINGS' (July 2003 - SB-3062) which features originals and Brazilian standards and arrangements. His first recording 'FACETS' (1999) featured the saxophone in a variety of settings in both classical and jazz styles. All of the compositions are written by composers with ties to the state of Kentucky and are new or previously unrecorded works.

A two-time National Endowment for the Arts award winner, Mr. Tracy holds Bachelor's of Music and Music Education degrees and Master's of Arts in Higher Education degree from the University of Louisville. He has studied with nationally prominent jazz musicians such as Jamey Aebersold, David Liebman, Jerry Coker and David Baker. His performing career has placed him on stage as a soloist with such stars as Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Rich, J.J. Johnson, Johnny Mathis, Marvin Hamlish, the Four Tops and the Temptations. He has also teamed up with jazz greats Jamey Aebersold, David Liebman, Rufus Reid, David Baker, Bobby Shew, Jerry Coker, Dan Haerle and Pat La Barbera for concerts and club appearances around the world. Additionally, Mr. Tracy has performed and recorded with the Louisville Orchestra in both classical and pop settings. Recently Michael re-scored Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera for a twenty piece saxophone orchestra which has been broadcast over PBS television and National Public Radio.

Mr. Tracy is also the author of JAZZ PIANO VOICINGS for the NON-PIANIST, JAZZ SAXOPHONE SURVEY: A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF 38 SAXOPHONISTS and co-author of the book POCKET CHANGES: 421 STANDARD CHORD PROGRESSIONS and POCKET CHANGES II. He is currently completing BLUE NOTE CLASSICS, a collection of interviews and insights on famous Blue Note recordings. His articles COLLEGE JAZZ - A BRIGHTER FUTURE IN SIGHT, AESTHETIC EDUCATION AND THE JAZZ ENSEMBLE and COPYRIGHT LAW AND HARMONIC STRUCTURE have been published by International Association of Jazz Educators. BLUE NOTE CLASSICS: AN ANALYTICAL, COMPARATIVE AND HISTORICAL STUDY was published by both the Qualitative Research In Education Journal and the Jazz Educators Journal.

A regional artist for Yamaha Corporation of America, Mr. Tracy is the founder of the Louisville Jazz Workshop and was an Artist-in-Residence for the Kentucky Arts Council from 1980 until 1988.

Visit Mike at michaeltracy.com

- Back to faculty listing -