Michael Wolff is a jazz musician with a passion for adventure. He has explored improvisation in many different settings over his long career, which spans from pop-jazz to worldbeat to bop. Wolff grew up in California during the 1960s and 1970s. He was exposed to the fusion explorations by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Return to Forever (featuring Chick Corea) and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Wolff was offered a gig by Cannonball Adderley in 1975. Wolff soon began gigging with other greats like Airto Moreira and Sonny Rollins. After a brief stint as an arranger and music director for Nancy Wilson, Wolff was selected to be the bandleader of the Arsenio hall Show in the mid-’80s. Wolff was back in jazz after leaving television. He released a number of recordings including Jumpstart (1995), 2 AM (1995), both featuring a trio that included Tony Williams (drummer) and Christian McBride (bassist). Portraiture: The Blues Period (1998) and many others. He formed Impure Thoughts in the late 1990s. This was a jazz group that featured a diverse ensemble including Alex Foster (high school friend and Jaco Pastorius sideman), tabla master Badal Ray, and Arsenio hall bandmate John B. Williams. Impure Thoughts (2001) and Intoxicate (2001) were the result of regular gigs at the West Bank Cafe in Manhattan. Allmusic
