Michael Lang

After more than three decades working as a professional pianist, Michael Lang finally issued his debut solo album in 1994, the delay caused by an unrelenting schedule of studio commitments. He received his degree from the University of Michigan in 1963, spent the next two years with Paul Horn, and then settled in Los Angeles to pursue session work. His early credits included appearances with Stan Kenton’s Neophonic Orchestra in 1966, Don Ellis in 1967, and Tom Scott in 1968. Lang also recorded with John Klemmer, Milt Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Lee Konitz, Art Pepper, Sarah Vaughan, and many other artists, most often outside jazz. Although he continued to play jazz in local settings on an occasional basis, his first recording under his own name did not appear until 1994, when Varèse Sarabande released his jazz treatments of Henry Mancini songs. He additionally contributed to numerous television and film scores. Michael Lang died of lung cancer at his home in Studio City, California, on August 5, 2022, at the age of 80.