Mike Steinel Story

I think I have always been interested in music, attracted at first to the drums. I grew up in small towns in Kansas, the son of public school teachers. My dad was my band director and my mother the school librarian. My dad was also a trumpeter, my first teacher, the most important musical model when I was young. Dad passed away in 2019 but played daily until the end and always had the same beautiful tone I heard when I was growing up. I was given an old cornet at six, but I mostly just “messed around” on it, making weird sounds. In 7th grade, I and three other classmates, formed a band (trumpet, alto, piano, and drums) and called ourselves "Susan and the Bachelors". We played a few dances, won a county talent show, and appeared on local TV. Big stuff for four kids from Marion, KS (population = 2500).

In high school, I enjoyed playing and singing in our school ensembles, playing trumpet in the Wichita Youth Symphony, and performing with the various local “garage” (rock) bands in our town. At various times I experimented with playing guitar, electric bass and keyboards.

In 1969 I entered college (Emporia State Teachers College) fully expecting to become an “orchestral” trumpeter, however I soon became more interested in jazz or at least jazz influenced music. Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago were creating some great music, and producing “hit records” and we all wanted to become "rock stars". I began playing in horn sections for a number of rock bands that traveled throughout the Midwest: The Flares, Spider and the Crabs, The Rising Suns, and The Fabulous Flippers. During the summer of 1971 I got my first taste of the "road", performing over 80 one-nighters with "Spider and the Crabs". We played ballrooms, armories, teen dances, and bars in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. Beyond the musical experience I received, I am thankful to have seen the great middle part of the USA. We live in a great country and there are fine musicians and dedicated music lovers wherever you go.

I spent the summer of 1972 studying in New York City with Carmine Caruso at the suggestion of my trumpet teacher Pete Ciurczak. Although my “chop problems” would not get resolved during that summer I did get to hear some amazing music (Thad and Mel at the Village Vanguard, Freddie Hubbard, Mingus, and more) and play some gigs in the Catskills. I experienced the “New York Scene” and it showed me that there still was a lot of jazz being played in the bebop style. When I returned I was 10 pounds lighter (didn’t have much money for food) but had plenty of ideas about the kind of music I wanted to play.

In the fall of 1972, with five like-minded friends, I helped form a six-piece group called “Rosewood” (modeled after Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Miles Davis). In 1973 it was reformed as “Jaws” (a quartet) and eventually became the “The Rosewood Trio”. In 1974 Jaws won a spot at the Wichita Jazz Festival appearing on the same stage as Cannonball Adderley (but much earlier in the day).

In 1976 the “Rosewood Trio” recorded a 45 RPM disc: “West 15th Street Strut” which was re-issued in 2015 as part of “Praise Poems Three – A Celebration of Soul Jazz of the 1970s” by Tramp records.

Playing in “Rosewood/Jaws/Rosewood Trio” (1972-76) provided me a chance to explore a wide variety of jazz styles. Our repertoire included jazz music like that of Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, Freddie Hubbard, Les McCann along with more commercial songs by disco groups like Average White Band and Grover Washington Jr. We even gave “bebop oriented” tunes like Clifford Brown’s Joy Spring our best shot.

I also began to compose original instrumentals and songs with lyrics. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my colleagues in those bands: Mike Theis (trumpet), Deke Isaac (bass and vocals), Craig Wright (drums), Richard Hale (saxophone) and Paul West (percussion).

In the fall of 1976, I visited North Texas State University with a friend. Prior to that I had given little thought of going to grad school or going to North Texas. After hearing the One O’clock Lab Band and experiencing the “vibe” of the school I was hooked. I began my degree in January of 1977 and completed it in the Spring of 1979. NTSU literally changed my musical life. Two years in the One O’clock Band (77-79) under Leon Breeden, studying piano with Dan Haerle, trumpet with Leonard Candelaria, and arranging with Rick Stitzel were invaluable experiences. Playing jam sessions with players like Bill Evans (who later played with Miles), Jim Powell (who played with Woody Herman and the Vanguard Band), and Bob Belden (who was a true genius) opened my mind and ears to a whole new level of musicianship. Becoming part of the North Texas family was a major milestone in my life.

After completing my studies at NTSU I was hired as an “Artist in Residence” at Bethel College in Kansas. For the next four years I taught at the college, worked in the public schools in the Wichita area, and performed with my quartet (formed in partnership with Paul Mariconda and friend from NTSU. The Paul Maricond/Mike Steinel quartet did 10 tours of the Midwest from 1979 to 1983. We were lucky to perform with a number of great guest artists such as Bill Evans, Gary Foster, Jerry Bergonzi, John McNeal, and Urbie Green.

I left Kansas in 1983 and took a position at Northern Illinois University. NIU had and still has a great jazz tradition and I look fondly on my years of being part of the faculty. I was also able to work gigs in Chicago and within a year or so I had formed a new group: The Chicago Jazz Quintet. The CJQ included Bill Sears (alto), Frank Mantooth (piano), Kelly Sill (bass) and Jack Mouse (drums); all great players and teachers. We did a number of college festivals and small tours in the upper Midwest. Our repertoire consisted of jazz standards and originals.

In 1987 I was invited to join the faculty of the Jazz Studies Division of the University of North Texas. I retired in 2019 after 32 years. I taught jazz improvisation, jazz theory, jazz trumpet, and jazz pedagogy. It was the most challenging and rewarding work I have ever done, and I looked forward to each day of work. One of the most exciting aspects of being at UNT was having the opportunity to teach and perform with great musicians like Ed Soph, Fred Hamilton, Neil Slater, Dan Haerle, and Jim Riggs. When I joined the faculty we numbered only seven, but when I retired we had grown to include 16 full time professors or instructors.

In recent years I have led a Quintet (sometimes Sextet) featuring Rosana Eckert and Pat Coil. Our first CD was Song and Dance release on Origin AO Records in 2018. In 2021 we began work on Saving Charlie Parker: The Suite. Due out in 2022 on Rosewood Audio.

Gary Eckert (Percussion), Pat Coil (Piano), Steve Barnes (Drums) John Adams (Bass), Rosana Eckert (Vocals), and Mike Steinel (Trumpet). After our last session for Saving Charlie Parker.

My Story