LOS ANGELES, CA, January 13, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Mike Price has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

With a legacy spanning several decades and continents, Mr. Price has established a remarkable career as a professional musician, composer and bandleader. Since 1993, he has served as a professional composer with the Mike Price Jazz Quintet and Jazz Orchestra, where he is responsible for writing original music, handling promotional duties for live performance, booking musicians to perform with the group and organizing rehearsals. His leadership in these ensembles has been marked by creative innovation and a longstanding commitment to advancing jazz performance worldwide.

Mr. Price has been a composer and musician with the Mike Price Jazz Quintet for 50 years, through which he has contributed significantly to the group's artistic direction and acclaimed musical output. His passion for music emerged early in life; by the time he reached high school, he had already resolved to make music his profession. Growing up among family members who played instruments but did not pursue musical careers gave him unique insight into the dedication required for such a path. At age 16, he joined the musicians' union and gained valuable experience performing alongside seasoned professionals before deciding to major in music at Northwestern University.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Mr. Price pursued further training at Berklee College of Music where he also served as a teaching assistant. Among his early professional experiences were performing with Tex Beneke's Modernaires on a European tour in 1964 and engaging with the vibrant music scene in Boston, Massachusetts.

A key connection formed after graduation led Mr. Price to join Stan Kenton's band; he eventually assumed the role of lead trumpeter before moving on to perform and tour with legendary acts such as Buddy Rich and the Beach Boys. This period was particularly formative for him, as working closely with Buddy Rich presented both significant challenges and opportunities for growth. The high caliber of musicianship required in this ensemble shaped his long-term approach to music and established a fundamental musical relationship that influenced many of his subsequent achievements.

In 1973, Mr. Price joined Japanese pianist and composer Toshiko Akiyoshi's new band, recording several albums and touring across Japan multiple times during an era when jazz was flourishing there. His interest in the nation's culture prompted him to study Japanese between tours so he could better connect with audiences and fellow musicians.

Following Ms. Akiyoshi's relocation to New York City in the early 1980s, Mr. Price sought deeper engagement with Japanese culture by securing an artist exchange program grant that allowed him to live and perform in Japan starting in 1989 — a milestone he considers highly significant. During his time there, he performed with Nobuo Hara and the Sharps and Flats for 25 years, founded his own jazz quintet in 1993 and established a big band focused on performing Duke Ellington's repertoire in 1999. These endeavors resulted in numerous successful tours, recordings — including one titled, "Presenting The Mike Price Jazz Quintet, In Tokyo." Throughout these years in Japan, Mr. Price also appeared as a guest soloist and trumpet clinician with many community jazz bands, university bands, and public school music programs.

Upon returning to California in 2017 to support his family while maintaining strong ties with the Japanese jazz community, Mr. Price continued contributing to acclaimed recordings with Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich and Toshiko Akiyoshi, demonstrating his lifelong dedication to jazz. His consistent record of excellence over the decades has seen him recognized through accolades such as the Don Ellis Jazz Award from USC in 1987.

Mr. Price's equally accomplished academic background has played a pivotal role in his professional development. He earned a Master of Arts in jazz studies from the University of Southern California in 1988, which provided him with advanced training in performance and composition. Prior to this achievement, he completed postgraduate coursework in performance, theory and composition at Berklee College of Music in 1967. His foundational studies culminated in a Bachelor of Music in trumpet from Northwestern University in 1964.

In addition to his academic degrees. Mr. Price qualified for a California community college teaching certificate from the state of California in 1988. He originally obtained a California public school teaching credential prior to relocating to Japan in 1989 and renewed it after returning to the United States. Since 2018, he has dedicated approximately 30 hours per week as a substitute teacher across various subjects within the Los Angeles Unified School District at Hamilton High School, Westchester High School, University High School and the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies.

Reflecting on his storied artistic journey, Mr. Price attributes much of his success to Vincent Cichowicz, his trumpet teacher at Northwestern University who was a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The guidance he received from Mr. Cichowicz provided essential fundamentals that enabled him to pursue music professionally at a high level — a foundation for which Mr. Price remains deeply grateful.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Mr. Price remains actively engaged as a performer with jazz bands whose musicians are also teaching colleagues. These bands include Los Compadres, The Cliffhangers, and other groups with whom he regularly appears at venues such as The Industry Cafe on the first Wednesday of every month, and other locations in the Los Angeles area.

Also a devoted family man, Mr. Price is the proud father of one daughter, Naomi, who recently married and resides in Tokyo where she applies her art degree — focused on sculpture — to a commercial career in graphic design.

Having built five decades' worth of accomplishments as an artist, Mr. Price remains eager to continue collaborating with fellow musicians, write new music whenever possible and embrace any recording opportunities that arise — all while remaining committed to both teaching and performing as integral parts of his ongoing legacy. Several of Mr. Price's performances with his quintet or big band are available on YouTube. A search for "Mike Price Jazz" or "Mike Price Trumpet" should yield several links.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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