Michael Wolff

Michael Wolff

Michael Blieden Wolff (born July 31, 1952) is an American jazz pianist, composer, producer, vocalist, and educator. He was honored as a Steinway Artist and obtained a Broadcast Music Incorporated award. He also won an award at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Wolff began his music career performing in Cal Tjader's band. He went onto become the musical director for jazz singer Nancy Wilson who introduced him to Arsenio Hall, and the latter of which he served as the bandleader for his CBS prime-time talk show, which broadcasted from 1989-94. Wolff provided the score and co-produced The Tic Code (1999). He also co-starred and produced the music for the film The Naked Brothers Band (2005), winning him an Audience Award for Family Feature Film at the Hamptons International Film Festival. By early 2007 it became the pilot to the Nickelodeon musical comedy series of the same name, which he co-starred in and earned a BMI Cable Award for producing the series' music. Wolff was the leader of the jazz band Impure Thoughts which featured Indian tabla player Badal Roy, drummer Mike Clark, percussionist Frank Colón and electric bassist John B. Williams. Reconstructed as Wolff & Clark Expedition, it is a jazz-funk group consisting of Wolff and Clark as band leaders, with Steve Wilson and Lenny Pickett as saxophonists, and James Genus as the bassist. Wolff currently teaches jazz music at universities in New York City and performs at various jazz clubs in Manhattan and across the United States with his new band.

Wolff married actress Polly Draper after meeting her when she was a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show. He and Draper have two sons — Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff — who starred in and wrote the music for The Naked Brothers Band film and series which was created, produced, written, and directed by Draper. Wolff's wife wrote and co-starred in The Tic Code which was influenced by his life with Tourette syndrome. He serves on the Board of Directors at the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA), and is involved in mentoring children with Tourette's through the chapters of the TSA.