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Pianist, composer Michael Weiss, best known for his fifteen year association with saxophonist Johnny Griffin, has forged a solid reputation accompanying jazz luminaries such as Art Farmer, Charles McPherson, Slide Hampton, George Coleman, the Heath brothers, the Jazztet, Lou Donaldson, Pepper Adams, Bill Hardman, Junior Cook, Wynton Marsalis and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. In 2000 he was the grandprize winner in the BMI/Thelonious Monk Institute's Composers Competition. In 1989, he won second prize in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and in 2002, Weiss received a composition commission from Chamber Music America. Jazz Times says Weiss "writes with thought-provoking originality". As a soloist and bandleader, Weiss has been featured on television and radio programs such as CBS News Nightwatch, Live From Lincoln Center, Jazzset, Piano Jazz, and the Jazz Piano Christmas Special. In addition to performing, composing and recording, Michael Weiss has been committed to jazz education throughout his career. His fourth recording as a leader, Soul Journey, features nine original compositions composed for septet. The Detroit Free Press said of it, "the songs simply smoke". In October, 2006, Weiss debuted as a leader at the Village Vanguard. The New York Times wrote that Weiss, "a confident and sparkling presence on piano," "demonstrated a strong sense of leadership and organization."
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