Biography
A virtuoso on both acoustic and electric guitar, Michael Bocian was destined to become an eclectic player with a broad range. He was raised in a house filled with music and instruments — the earliest sounds he was exposed to through his Polish upbringing were church music and the polkas played at weddings. As a teenager, he was first inspired by Motown, then by the heavy rock vibe of Jimmy Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and finally awed by the Spanish music played by classical guitarist John Williams. By the age of 14 Bocian had settled on the guitar as the instrument he would use to tell his story.
Bocian was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 18, 1953. He was fortunate to have Cleveland as his hometown, as there were many vibrant music scenes that an ambitious young musician could tap into. His brother Steve is a bass player and they worked in bands together. At DeArango Music, Bocian met the guitarist who would become his mentor, jazz great Bill DeArango, whose masterful playing opened up the teenager’s head to the possibilities of the instrument. Bocian also counts among his major influences from that time artists as varied as Ornette Coleman, Lenny Tristano and Julian Bream. As part of a group of Cleveland musicians that included Joe Lovano, Skip Hadden, Jamey Haddad, and James Emery, Bocian honed his improvisational skills.
The young musician went searching for his musical home, trying out Boston, Bermuda, Florida, and California before moving to New York City with Joe Lovano in 1974. His first working musical experiences were playing “show biz” gigs, backing up headliners from The Sherilles to Tiny Tim. Bocian soon left show business and became part of a rich music scene where he was playing with jazz greats like Rashied Ali, Dewey Redman and Richie Beirach. It was then that he discovered his unique voice, inspired by the advice of the elder jazzmen to “be yourself, play yourself.” He was learning to play his personality by taking elements from the past and present, from the culture and the environment, and distilling it down to a personal and authentic expression, what he wanted to say through his instrument. That, for Bocian, is the very essence of jazz.
One of his early acoustic bands was Universal Language, which he formed with Joe Lovano and Paul McCandless, among others. He formed The Michael Bocian Quartet where he played electric guitar along with Rashied Ali and Reggie Workman (Coltrane’s rhythm section) and Dewey Redman, (Ornette Coleman’s saxophonist.) Bocian had a number of lasting musical associations, playing with Rashied Ali for 10 years, and Joe Lovano for some 15 years. Bocian’s first two records, For This Gift and Go Groove, were on composer Gunther Schuller’s label Gunmar. On the Enja label, Bocian made two records, “Reverence,” and “Premonition.” He formed his own label, Ulua Music, and recorded Stork on the Hudson, A Play Beyond Maya and Here Just Visiting, as well as I Am The Blues with Bill DeArango. Ulua also released 25 Etudes, a companion CD for his book, 25 Etudes for Contemporary Guitar, published by Mel Bay Music. Bocian has been a leader with greats like Dewey Redman, Joe Lovano, Paul McCandless, Ed Blackwell, Rashied Ali, Fred Hersch, Richie Bierach, Reggie Workman and Bill DeArango. Venues have included legitimate theater, festivals, clubs and international radio. He has improvised music for the Alwin Nikolai Dance Company, in the ballet SCHEMA. Since the 1980’s, Bocian has been actively performing and recording with his group Wood, which uses only acoustic, wooden instruments. The group was originally formed with Billy Drewes, clarinet, Scott Lee, bass.
Bocian has published over 120 original compositions. He was part of an Arts Council tour led by Joe Lovano, performing throughout New York and the UK, at the London Jazz Festival. He recorded on Joe Lovano’s Viva Caruso CD for Bluenote records. Bocian was a featured artist for Worldwide Voice of America. He has taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City, and has given seminars in Cleveland, Ohio at Cleveland State University, Tri C Community College and Cleveland Institute of Music. He has held music clinics at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, both in Boston, Massachusetts. Bocian was the recipient of Meet the Composer grants, working with Footpath Dance Studio and funded by the Great Lakes Arts Alliance for Music and Dance. He has received funding from the Jazz Coalition for performances in Boston, and from the North East Ohio Jazz Society for clinics and concerts in the Jazz Artists Series.
Bocian has just released a new record, The Five Elements, where he plays solo nylon string guitar. In improvised compositions, he captures the vibe for each of the five elements represented by Buddhist Prayer Flags – Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. The profound influence of Indian music is present, both the calming sound of the northern alap and the raw mastery of the south.
Michael Bocian resides in New York City. He is employed by 4MM Games and is studying Sound Design at NYU. He is currently recording, composing and teaching music while establishing a music scene in the Catskill Mountains in New York.