Michael Salter

Michael Salter is a bass clarinetist, tenor saxophonist, educator, and composer who constantly creates beautiful, genre-defying music. An active recording artist, he was nominated for a Grammy award and has performed at a wide range of venues including Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony Center, The Montreux Jazz Festival, and The Concertgebouw. Since 2008, he has been a member of Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and has performed with The Chicago Sinfonietta, the AACM, and with jazz icons such as Danilo Perez and Roscoe Mitchell. A prolific composer and the leader of his own group, Freakjar, Michael has been commissioned to write for ensembles like the Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino. He is a passionate and dedicated educator who has served as an adjunct faculty member at Elgin Community College, is a Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Teaching Artist, and holds positions with Nat King Cole Generation Hope and Carnegie Hall.

Michael Salter performs on the Royal Global MAX Low E-flat Bass clarinet with a Walter Grabner mouthpiece. He chose the instrument after a long search for one that could excel in both jazz and orchestral settings, and praises the MAX for its "flawless" intonation and "deep, rich core that invites and inspires music making of the highest level." Its versatility is key: the projection is "excellent for jazz, rock or experimental settings but also is focused and centered for orchestral and classical environments." His decision to play Royal was immediate — after trying the horn at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, he "immediately fell in love with it!" The value it brings to his work is profound: "This instrument inspires me to be extremely musical and brings me pure joy to play it… the same joy I felt when I first began playing music when I was 10 years old!"