Grammy Award winning trumpeter/composer, Michael Rodriguez, was born July 14, 1979 in Queens, New York. Inspired to pursue music as a career by his father, drummer Roberto Rodriguez, he initially studied at The New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida and continued his studies at The University of Miami. After completing two years there, he transferred to The New School University in New York City, where he received his BA.
Michael has toured and performed with such jazz icons as Clark Terry, Bobby Watson, Quincy Jones, Joe Lovano, Toshiko Akiyoshi Orchestra, Jessica Simpson, Chico O’Farrill Orchestra, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, Lincoln Center Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Jon Faddis and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, The Carla Bley Band and Quintet, The Clayton Brothers, Kenny Barron Quintet, Conrad Herwig’s “Latin Side” Projects, Clayton Brothers Quintet, Harry Connick, Jr., Bob Mintzer, Yosvany Terry Quintet, Eddie Palmieri Septet, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and the Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra, among others. In December 2003, Michael Rodriguez recorded on Charlie Haden’s Grammy Award winning album, Land of the Sun, featuring Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Joe Lovano, and also recorded on two Charlie Haden Liberation Music Orchestra albums, Not in Our Name (2005) and Time/Life (2016).
In 2008, Michael became a member of the Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quintet, with whom he recorded Avatar (Blue Note). In 2019, he joined Chick Corea’s Spanish Heart Band, which won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for Antidote in 2020. He is currently a member of the internationally acclaimed group SFJazz Collective.
Michael and his brother, pianist Robert Rodriguez, have recorded five albums together, including on their own label, RodBrosMusic: Introducing the Rodriguez Brothers(2002, RodBrosMusic), Conversations (2007, Savant), Mood Swing (2010, RodBrosMusic), Impromptu (2015, Criss Cross)—nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album—and most recently Reunited: Live at Dizzy’s (2023, RodBrosMusic).
In addition to his collaborative work, Michael has released two albums as a leader: Reverence (2013, Criss Cross) and Pathways (2021, RodBrosMusic). He is currently a faculty member of New York University (NYU) and the Juilliard Jazz program along with being an internationally sought-after clinician.