Michael Malis Quintet
““among the most compelling Detroit jazz musicians of his generation””
Michael Malis - piano, compositions
Jaribu Shahid - bass
Jonathan Barahal Taylor - drums
Zekkereya El-magharbel - trombone
Stephen Grady - saxophones
Photos: credit Costa Kazaleh Sirdenis
Featuring an all-star cast of Detroit jazz musicians, Michael Malis’ quintet has developed loyal and dedicated following in the city. Their adventurous post-bop sound - hearkening to the bands of Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Charles Tolliver, and Andrew Hill - has lead them to become a mainstay of Detroit’s vibrant music scene. Malis’s quintet is exuberant, furious, reflective, steadfast, optimistic, groovy, and swinging - a refreshing update on a time-tested sound.
Past Performances
Gretchen Valade Jazz Center (Detroit) 2025
Boston Edison Music in Homes (Detroit) 2025
Motor City Wine (Detroit) monthly residency, 2024 to present
Cliff Bell’s (Detroit) 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Palmer Park Log Cabin (Detroit) 2023
Lucille’s Jazz Lounge (Toledo) 2023
Blue Llama Jazz Club (Ann Arbor) 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019
Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church (Detroit) 2021
Detroit Jazz Festival 2016
Shapeshifter Lab (Brooklyn, NY) 2016
Tranzac (Toronto) 2016
Cafe Résonance (Montréal) 2016
Trinosophes (Detroit) 2016
Bop Stop (Cleveland) 2016
Merriman’s Playhouse (South Bend) 2016
Michael Malis is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit, MI. Noted for his “jaw-dropping display of improvisational power” (All About Jazz), Malis is a recipient of Greek America Foundation’s 40 under 40 award. He has taught at the University of Michigan and Interlochen Arts Academy, and is now a Doctoral student at the University of Michigan.
As a recording artist, he has released 13 albums. His music has been described as “downright transcendental” (Maggot Brain Magazine) and “uncommonly mature” (Detroit Free Press). He was noted as “among the most compelling Detroit jazz musicians of his generation” (Jazz From Detroit, University of Michigan Press). His compositions have been performed across the United States, including at Harvard University, the University of Maryland, The Owl (Brooklyn), and Orchestral Hall (Detroit).
As a pianist, Malis has shared the stage with a diverse array of musicians, including Marcus Belgrave, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Robert Hurst, Gerald Cleaver, Jaribu Shahid, John Lindberg, William Hooker, A. Spencer Barefield, Tyshawn Sorey, Brandee Younger, J.D. Allen, and Marion Hayden. He has performed at the Yokohama Jazz Promenade (Yokohama, Japan), the Kennedy Center, Birdland (NYC), and The Stone (NYC).
He is the founder of Other Tones, a concert series providing performance opportunities for local and national composer-performers. To date, Other Tones has presented 22 artists from 7 cities to Detroit audiences. All proceeds from concerts go to presenting artists. The series centers artists from underrepresented groups, presenting a majority of queer, BIPOC, and women or femme-identifying artists.
Press Quotes
August 2019: “Of the current pool of young jazz pianists on Detroit’s scene, Malis has proven to be one of the most daring, willing to go musically where his peers are reluctant to or don’t have the chops yet to go. Malis’s daring was on full display Friday evening at the Motor City Wine Bar where his quartet performed challenging compositions by Don Cherry, Andrew Hill, Geri Allen, and Wayne Shorter, mixed with some of Malis’s originals fresh from the oven.”
December 2015: “an uncommonly mature and distinctive debut... The music is loose and spontaneous, alert to dynamics and textural variety while balancing formal detail and discipline with freedom. … Malis' flexible touch and attack can sound sumptuous, splashy or spiky, and his well-developed technique allows him to get around the piano easily. He also has an impressive way of spreading out the rhythm between his two hands to create a fulsome sound that comes from playing the entire instrument. His sweeping approach, the way he projects a feeling of progressivism, reminds me a bit of his teacher, Geri Allen, without mimicking the specifics of her style.”
September 2015:“Malis’ multi-faceted stylings cover a broad range of free expression. He bridges the gap between original composed, complex written material and the spontaneity of improvisation.”
May 2016: “On his debut, pianist Michael Malis definitely gets in his share of quality swings, and this fun recording has more than its share of inspired moments and surprises.”
December 2015: “Malis never sounds like someone else and already displays his own musical personality, characterized by a seamless continuum between compositional and instrumental qualities. This is how the Detroit jazz piano tradition is evolving for our times.”
November 2015: “From Detroit comes Michael Malis, bending the idea of the traditional piano trio. His music starts on the crystalline end of classically influenced jazz piano, but he’s willing to veer into adventurous territory.”