Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians
DiRubbo, Mike (Michael Anthony)
DiRubbo, Mike (Michael Anthony), saxophonist, composer; b. New Haven, CT, 25 July 1970. His mother, AnnaMarie, was born in New Haven in 1941. His father, Antonio, was born in Cerreto Sannita, Italy in 1941 and immigrated to New Haven, CT in 1956 where he has lived ever since.
Michael studied clarinet at St. Stanislaus School in New Haven from the 4th-8th grades. In 1982 he received an alto saxophone as a gift and taught himself to play it. He continued playing saxophone in concert/marching band and jazz band at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, CT. A highlight of this period was a performance with the Mitchell/Ruff duo and the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award.
In the fall of 1988 he attended the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT as a music performance major on both talent and academic scholarships. Here he studied with jazz legend Jackie McLean. Between 1992 and 1994, DiRubbo lived, worked and taught music in the Hartford area.
In 1994 he moved back to New Haven, CT and continued to teach music privately and to perform weekly in Hartford with trombonist Steve Davis1 Explorers Quintet. In the next few years DiRubbo would become a regular performer at Augie1s (now called Smoke) jazz club on the upper west side in Manhattan. In 1997 DiRubbo moved to Brooklyn, NY where he now resides and is an active member of the New York jazz scene as a performer, composer and instructor.
Some of the musicians he has performed and recorded with are: Cecil Payne, Eddie Henderson, Joe Farnsworth, Harold Mabern, Ronnie Matthews, John Hicks, Steve Davis, Mike LeDonne, Michael Weiss, Peter Washington, Nat Reeves, Jim Rotondi, Eric Alexander, Dave Hazeltine, Tony Reedus, Anthony Wonsey, Dwayne Burno, Brian Lynch, Peter Bernstein, Joe Magnarelli, Essiet Essiet, Mario Pavone, Matt Wilson, Clarence 3Gatemouth2 Brown, Carl Allen, and George Wein.
He has performed at many New York venues including Blue Note, Smoke and Knitting Factory as well as overseas in Italy, France and Israel. He has given master classes at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio and at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT.
Recordings:
From The Inside Out (1994); Keep Steppin1 (2001); Human Spirit (2002)
As sideperson:
Steve Davis: The Jaunt (1995), Crossfire (1997), Vibe Up! (1998), Systems Blue (2001); Andrew Adair: States (1999); Jim Rotondi: Reverence (2000), Mario Pavone: Totem Blues (2000); Craig Wuepper: The Returnsman (2001)
Radio broadcasts:
Various radio interviews on NPR and jazz radio stations in the Northeast US.
Bibliography:
Featured in Hot House magazine, Saxophone Journal, Swing Journal, The Hartford Courant, and at allaboutjazz.com.
Contact information:
www.mikedirubbo.com
dirubbo@yahoo.com
718.857.6521
