Mike Cottone, a Rochester-born musician, discovered a passion for music early on. It was obvious that his passion for music would lead him to a trumpet when he was just 10. His band director, Mr. Daniel McMurray, helped him explore jazz in high school. Mike was exposed to recordings by trumpet legends like Clifford Brown and Miles Davis. McMurray was an inspiration to Mike and helped him develop his soulful sound. Mike studied at The Eastman School of Music, where he received the Howard Hanson Scholarship as well as the Rochester International Jazz Festival Scholarship. Mike started his studies in Jazz Performance and Music Ed as a double-degree student. Clay Jenkins, Principal Trumpeter of the Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra, and Douglas Prosser were his trumpet teachers. While playing in Eastman’s New Jazz Ensemble and the Downbeat-award-winning Eastman Jazz Ensemble, Mike shared the stage with jazz giants such as Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, John Hollenbeck, Peter Erskine, Rufus Reid, and Marian McPartland. Between semesters at Eastman Mike was busy performing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and the Commission Project. He also performed at the Grand Hotel Orchestra, Mackinac Island, Michigan. Mike earned his Masters of Music at the Juilliard School, where he studied trumpet master Chris Jaudes as well as jazz legend Dr. Eddie Henderson. Mike worked with and performed alongside jazz legends Terence Blanchard and Benny Golson as well as Ray Drummond and Ray Wolfe. Mike was a member of the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble and accompanied them on trips to Columbia, South America, Salt Lake City, Utah and as a guest artist on Queen Mary 2. Mike is now a New York City resident and performs every week at the Bar Basque Restaurant, the Black Duck Restaurant. He has performed at Rose Hall’s Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as in numerous venues, including Smalls Jazz Club and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Four Seasons Restaurant, Rockwood Music Hall and the Living Room. Mike was featured performer at the Blue Note’s Emerging Artist Series, where he performed many of his new works for his album, Just Remember. from http://mikecottone.com/
