Michael Rabinowitz Quartet South

Rabinowitz and Stevens began playing together in the legendary New York City “Mosaic Sextet”. The Sextet featured Dave Douglas, Mark Feldman, Joe Fonda, Harvey Sorgen as well as Rabinowitz and Stevens. The group’s debut CD “Today this Moment” is listed in the Penguin Music Guide as one of the top 100 CD’s of 1990’s. The two Michaels’ continued their musical relationship with the release of their duo CD “Play” which was a series of free improvisations recorded in the studio. They also collaborated on several projects and recordings with vocalist Lenore Von Stein. Their new quartet collaboration features two of western North Carolina’s premier players: Zack Page on bass and Rick Dilling on drums. The quartet recently (July 2024) recorded their debut CD featuring original music by Stevens and Rabinowitz.
The members...
Whether blowing bebop over a Mingus tune or freely improvising with Anthony Braxton, Michael Rabinowitz's contributions have changed the conception of what the bassoon can do. Since graduating with a BFA in music performance from SUNY at Purchase in the late seventies Michael's improvisatory skills opened the door for the bassoon to enter a variety of musical environments not traditionally associated with the instrument.
He has recorded with Ira Sullivan, Red Rodney, Wynton Marsalis, John Hicks, Dave Douglas, Chris Potter and Joe Lovano. His festival appearances include Chicago, Montreal, Berlin, Tri-city, Tanglewood, San Francisco and Hollywood Bowl. Michael is a founding member of The Charles Mingus Orchestra which can be heard regularly at the Jazz Standard in NYC. His quartet Bassoon and the Wild has performed at the The Vanderbilt Planetarium, Frick Museum, JVC Jazz Festival, , Penn State, Kavehaz and other venues in NYC. Ocean Eyes is Michael's 5th CD and documents the development of his quartet with mostly original compositions. The Buffet Group USA has been Michael's sponsor for the past fifteen years and has supported his participation in performances and master classes at the IDRS most notably the Jazz at June Festival in Oklahoma with oboist Paul McCandless. In 2009 Michael was awarded a grant from Chamber Music of America in collaboration with French oboist Jean Luc Fillon and released their CD On the Reed Again. In 2014, Michael formed a group called The Odd Couple Quintet with jazz horn virtuoso John Clark. Michael has conducted master classes at many universities and has released four feature albums.
Zack Page has been performing as a professional bassist since the early ‘90s. His work with various jazz ensembles, theater companies and the cruise industry has taken him to all 50 U.S. States, the Caribbean islands, Australia, South America, Europe and the Far East. In a jazz setting, Zack has had the good fortune to play and/or record with Billy Higgins, Marvin Stamm, Eddie Daniels and Babik Reinhardt, the son of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Following time spent in LA and New York City, Zack relocated to Asheville nine years ago. Here in WNC, Zack enjoys a busy freelance schedule with many of North Carolina’s finest musicians. “One Leg Up, Asheville’s gypsy jazz band, is my main project.
I also play with The Page Brothers Quartet, The Core, Alien Music Club, Wendy Jones Quartet, and many other groups. Zack is currently adjunct faculty at UNC (Asheville).
Michael Jefry Stevens - Pianist, Composer and “Steinway Artist,” Michael Jefry Stevens has been active on the international jazz scene for the past four decades. He has composed over 400 works for both large and small ensembles.
Michael has released over 100 CDs featuring his own music and has performed and recorded extensively with many of the top names in Jazz, including Dave Liebman, Oliver Lake, Dave Douglas, Leo Smith, Matt Wilson, Han Bennink, Mark Feldman, Steve Wilson, Walt Weiskopf, Valerie Ponomarev, Cecil Bridgewater, Jeanne Lee, Dakota Staton, Pheeroan AkLaff, Charles Moffett Sr., George Schuller, Dame Evelyn Glennie, and many others. In 2021 he received a $10,000 Doris Duke Foundation Performing Artist Recovery Fund Grant administered by the New York Community Trust Fund and grants from the North Carolina Arts Council and Buncombe County’s Mountain Bizworks. He received his Master of Arts degree in Jazz Performance from Queens College (CCNY).
Rick Dilling - Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Rick listened to all the big Bands growing up.
“I knew all the top 40 stuff of the 60s and early 70s and loved the Tijuana Brass but Basie, Ellington, Goodman and Herman really sounded great!” Rick graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Music Industry Studies.” Rick has performed professionally with the likes of Clark Terry, Ernie Watts, Herb Ellis, Joe Temperly, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Billy Taylor, and the Unifour Jazz Big Band.
Rick is also an Adjunct Instructor in the Jazz Department at ASU.
Michael Rabinowitz Quartet South
Add some content for each one of your videos, like a description, transcript or external links.To add, remove or edit tab names, go to Tabs.


