Michael Coltun

Michael Coltun was born in Washington, D.C on June 23rd, 1992. He grew up with his brother, sister, mother and father in the suburbs of D.C, Rockville, MD. His father, also a musician, introduced Michael to music at a young age. Michael grew up with music always playing around the house such as obscure world music, jazz, classical music and even John Zorn’s Naked City. Michael started studying music at a young age starting with “kindermusic” at age 3, studying piano from age 6, moving to cello in elementary school, and electric/upright bass when he entered middle school at age 12. Throughout middle school and high school he played in regional classical youth orchestras and jazz bands. He started traveling and playing with Malian griot, West African storyteller and historian, Cheick Hamala Diabaté when he was 16 years old. Since then he has traveled all around the world with Cheick playing some of the most prestigious venues and well-known festivals including The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Toronto Afro Fest, Lincoln Center, United Nations Building in NYC and Kennedy Center. In 2012 he traveled with Cheick to Mali, West Africa, to perform and record with world-renown Malian musicians Toumani Diabaté and Djelimady Tounkara. 

After early graduation from High School, Michael moved to New York City in the winter of 2011 to study at The New School For Jazz and Contemporary Music and Eugene Lang College for Liberal Arts where he has had the opportunity to study and perform with many of his downtown NYC heroes including John Zorn, Marc Ribot, Anthony Coleman, Ikue Mori, Todd Sickafoose, Mary Halvorson Greg Saunier, Mamadou Ba, Tim Lefevbre, and Reggie Workman. Michael is currently living in the East Village, New York composing, recording, mixing, writing music for commericials and touring. 

In 2008 Michael formed his own group, Les Rhinocéros, who have released three albums, to date, on John Zorn’s Tzadik Label, Les Rhinocéros (2011) Les Rhinocéros II (2013), and Les Rhinocéros III (2015) . Michael has toured the US, Canada, Europe and Russia with Les Rhinocéros performing in all types of music venues and large festivals including: SKIF Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia), International JazzFestival Saalfelden (Saalfelden, Austria), John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington, DC), Suoni Per Il Popolo (Montréal, Canada), Tarcento Jazz (Udine, Italy), Sonic Circuits Experimental Music Festival (Washington, DC). In the Fall 2014 Michael toured China with Israeli hardcore klezmer band Ramazailech. He continues to tour the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia playing at world music festivals, rock festivals, art museums, and venues of all kind  with Ramazilech, Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang, Chieck Hamala Diabate, Les Rhinocéros, KOLTUN and various other projects. 

Appears on:

OOYH 005: Curt Sydnor - Deep End Shallow