Michael
Broening
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Born
in Los Angeles, California, pianist, producer and songwriter Michael
Broening, now based in Phoenix, has become one of Arizona’s most
respected and sought after musicians, and is quickly making a name for
himself on the national scene. With
a keen sense of melody, sound and rhythm, some hefty piano chops, a
strong command of computer engineering, and an innate ability to get the
best performance out of artists, Mike has burst on the scene with a slew
of top 5 national hits, earning him a reputation as a contemporary jazz
hit maker. Equally adept as
a solo artist, his solo piano releases “Reflections” and
“Awakenings” have drawn Mike rave reviews for his hauntingly
passionate original songs and his gorgeous, melodic, and subtle playing
style. As a live pianist, he has wowed many audiences with his dynamic
performances, as well as his ability to play perfect renditions of songs
completely off the top of his head.
Whether it’s writing, performing, producing, or engineering,
Mike takes incredible pride in his work, and immerses himself in every
project, all while keeping a likeable, easy going and friendly attitude.
More and more artists are
calling Mike’s name to lend his hand in their productions, including
George Benson, Marion Meadows, Wayman Tisdale, and Steve Oliver, to name
a few. A husband and father
of two, Mike is as down to earth as they come, but with a future as
bright as it gets. The
Early Years … While
growing up in Phoenix, Mike took up piano lessons at the age of 5. By the age of 15, he began playing professionally, both as a
solo pianist and with high school bands, and was teaching at 16. At 17,
he joined Young Sounds of Arizona, a high school all-star big band,
where he won a music scholarship that he used to attend Arizona State
University. A 4.0 student in high school, Mike majored in both finance
and music. While in college, he continued to play and teach piano
professionally, and played in numerous bands. It was here that Mike
first starting honing his writing and productions skills, spending
countless nights writing and recording music, meticulously recreating
his favorite songs in his home studio, as well as writing originals.
It’s no coincidence that he had his first song published at the
ripe old age of 19. While
demonstrating bound determination, Mike always maintained an easy going
attitude and a good sense of humor, as he wrote and performed various
musical sketch and improv comedy with the Arizona State comedy troop.
After
graduation, Mike co-founded the contemporary jazz group “Turning
Point” in 1994, a band that, now in its 13th year, is still
going strong, with over 100,000 cd’s sold on 7 international releases.
The group, with original music co-written by Mike and guitarist
Thano Sahnas, took eclectic world rhythms and deep, inspiring melodies
to create a breathtaking and passionate debut CD. Turning Point’s high
energy show quickly became a Phoenix’s favorite, and over the next 4
years, the band released 2 more CD’s, the latter on Syndrome Records,
and had its music featured on soap opera “Guiding Light.”
While
still in Turning Point, Mike joined the Khani Cole Band in 1997 and
wrote and produced Khani’s 2nd international release
“Places” in 1998. His song “Somebody” charted in the smooth jazz
top 40 in Europe. It was
here that he met two of the most important people in his life, his wife
Leedene, and longtime friend and co-writer Marion Meadows. He also began
a co-production partnership with Grammy winning producer Billy Williams
(Lyle Lovett), arranging a national Chevy commercial, as well as honing
his production skills from one of the great veterans in the business.
Mike played over 200 dates a year between 97-99, working on stage with
such acclaimed national artists as Eric Marienthal, Joe Sample, Nelson
Rangell, and the Rippingtons, to name a few.
He also wrote and arranged songs for jazz artists Wayman Tisdale
and Steve Oliver on international releases.
Now firmly established in the Arizona music community, Mike
branched out and started his own company, Michael Broening Productions,
in 1999. 2000 to Present … In
2000, the newly married Mike started his own studio, “The “B” Hive,”
recording and programming for many of the top Phoenix bands and artists.
In addition, Mike became music director for A&M disco diva
CeCe Peniston. 2001,
however, proved to be a turning point, as Mike became writer/producer
for Heads Up recording saxophonist Marion Meadows.
Having been friends for a few years, they found an immediate
chemistry, co-writing 9 of the songs together on the 2002 international
release, “In Deep.” With
complete control as a producer, engineer, writer, arranger, keyboard
player, and mixer, Mike had found his niche, and also found a perfect
musical partner. “In Deep” was a great success, peaking at #11 on the
Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart.
The song “Tales of a Gypsy” reached the top 15 on the R&R
radio charts and stayed in the top 40 Jazz radio charts for over a year.
While “In Deep” was certainly a strong debut effort, it was
Marion’s follow-up release, 2004’s “Players Club” that put Mike
on the map as a legitimate contemporary jazz producer.
With two new outstanding musicians being added to the team,
bassist Mel Brown and guitarist Freddie Fox, Players Club took the
contemporary jazz market by storm.
Peaking at #9 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart, the CD
received outstanding reviews and featured two top 5 radio singles,
“Sweet Grapes” and “Suede,” that stayed on the charts for over 2
years. “Meadows
and Broening strike a unique chord as one of the most melodically
correct groove-oriented
teams in contemporary jazz” - Sheldon
T. Nunn - Jazz Review.com In the
past year, Mike has taken his production to a new level. In early 2006,
he released his first two solo piano CD’s, “Reflections” and “Awakenings”.
A proud father of two, Mike was inspired to write the music for
his wife during both of her pregnancies, and later dedicated both CD’s
to his children. He also
produced two international releases in the spring of 2006.
On the first, Steve Oliver’s “Radiant,” Mike produced 8 of
the songs, including the top 30 jazz single “Good to go.”
The 2nd release, Marion Meadows “Dressed to Chill,”
has only been out 1 month, but already has reached #2 on the Billboard
contemporary jazz charts, the highest of Meadows career.
Once again, Mike wrote and produced 10 of the tracks.
Also this year, Mike had the biggest professional accomplishment
of his career; arranging, programming and producing two songs for 6-time
Grammy winning legend George Benson.
The CD, due out in the fall of 2006 on Concord records, will
feature some of the biggest names in music, including Paul McCartney,
Herbie Hancock and Al Jarreau. Mike
is also credited playing B3 organ on the song “Bring it on Home to me,”
which features McCartney, Benson and Jarreau. “I’m
a very fortunate guy” says Broening.
“I get to produce and work with these unbelievable musicians
and artists, and I get to be Mr. Mom … sometimes at the same time” he laughed.
“That balance is tremendously important to me.
One minute I see a song I wrote on the charts, or see a national
review praising my work… the next minute I’m cleaning mashed peas
off my shirt. Children
always manage to bring you back to reality, and that keeps you focused
on what’s truly important in life.” “Music
has always been close to my heart, so I’m still grateful every day
that I get to do this for a living. And
creating music while raising my family?
Hey, that’s living the dream. Personal
… Born: August 10th Family: Wife Leedene (Married
in September, 2000) and two children, Alyssa (born November 2002) and
Drew (born July 2005) Currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
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