SABBATICAL

I am on sabbatical from Ithaca College for the 2024-25 academic year. During this time, I will be busy makin’ music, y’know… because music. I’ve got several projects brewing. I will try to keep this page updated with the status of the projects and any interesting/fun gigs that come up. If you have an idea for a way to make music together, email me at Mike [dot] Titlebaum [at] gmail [dot] com.

PROJECT #1: Research, edit, and republish the etudes and other works by jazz trombonist/composer/arranger Jack Gale. Jack was an amazing musician and teacher, and also just-so-happened to be my father-in-law. His “24 Jazz Etudes for Trombone” was the required to learn jazz trombone for decades. While the book is still in print, I will be working to modernize this book in several ways:

• Transpose the etudes for additional instruments such as alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, guitar, piano, etc.

• Edit them to have more precise articulations and other style indications, especially for other instruments.

• Re-record the play-along recordings. The existing play-alongs are super fun since Jack overdubbed all the rhythm instruments by himself in his basement. But the tracks were clearly not played professional rhythm section players, and will be more valuable once redone.

• Add additional etudes Jack wrote for individual students over the years, presumably when they were working on specific tunes like Clare Fischer’s “Pensativa” and John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” Part of this step is to locate and identify these etudes among the boxes of Jack’s materials.

• Include duets and quartets Jack wrote that are pedagogical in nature.

PROJECT #2: Compose an album-length amount of music for my medium-sized (9 or 10 member) band "Music Because Music," organize multiple performances of the music (regionally and nationwide) and record it for release/distribution.

PROJECT #3: Compose and arrange a complete album-legth amount of music for vocalist Catherine Gale to sing with a jazz big band and record it for release/distribution.

GIGS

2024

• May 29: With the Deep Dive Big Band.

• June 2: Guest artist-educator for Central New York Jazz Interscholastic Jazz Fest.

• June 8: Private party with Dennis Winge, guitar.

• June 12: Deep Dive Big Band.

• June 26: Deep Dive Big Band.

• June 28: Big Band backing up Gunhild Carling and Freda Payne, Syracuse International Jazz Fest.

• July 10: Deep Dive Big Band.

• July 11: Duo with Dino Losito, Rye Bar and Restaurant, Elmira, NY.

• July 14: Triphammer Big Band, Triphammer Arts.

• July 24: Deep Dive Big Band.

• July 25: Duo with Dino Losito, Rye Bar and Restaurant, Elmira, NY.

• July 26: Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Arrowhead Park, Inlet, NY (Adirondacks).

• Aug 7: Deep Dive Big Band.

• Aug 21: Deep Dive Big Band.

• August 29: Trio with Catherine Gale and Andrew Woodruff at Bridges, Cornell Heights.

• August 31: Village Swing at The Downstairs, Ithaca.

• Sept 4: Deep Dive Big Band.

• Oct 2: Trio with vocalist Catherine Gale and pianist Nick Weiser, SUNY at Fredonia Rosch Hall.

• Oct 3-4: Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops concert “Disco Divas.”

• Oct 28: Trio at Bridges, Cornell Heights.

• Oct 30: Deep Dive Big Band.

• Nov 11: Performance at Bridges, Cornell Heights.

• Nov 13: Deep Dive Big Band.

• Nov 15-16: Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops concert “The New Wave.”

• Dec 10: Jazz quintet, Kendal at Ithaca.

• Dec 11: Deep Dive Big Band.

• Dec 15: The Oxtet at Deep Dive.

• Dec 16: Performance at Bridges, Cornell Heights.

2025

• Jan 10-11: Performance/presentation with Eric Troiano at the International Saxophone Symposium, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.

• Jan 17-18: Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops concert “All That Satchmo: Smooth Sounds of New Orleans.”

• April 4: Soloist with Ithaca College Wind Ensemble on “Passages” winner of the Walter Beeler Memorial Composition Prize, composed by Will Healy.