MICHAEL PALLAS
In the heart of New York City’s evolving music landscape, trombonist, composer, and educator Michael Pallas has emerged as a unique voice exploring the intersections of Mambo, Hard bop, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, Caribbean, and many other genres in between. His work moves fluidly between cultures and generations. Whether leading his own ensemble, contributing to the sound and energy of global acts, or shaping a new recording, Pallas performs with a clear tone and melodic sensibility that mark him as a distinctive trombonist of his generation.
MICHAEL PALLAS
In the heart of New York City’s evolving music landscape, trombonist, composer, and educator Michael Pallas has emerged as a unique voice exploring the intersections of Mambo, Hard bop, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, Caribbean, and many other genres in between. His work moves fluidly between cultures and generations. Whether leading his own ensemble, contributing to the sound and energy of global acts, or shaping a new recording, Pallas performs with passion and melodic sensibility that mark him as a distinctive trombonist of his generation.
Born in California and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Pallas’ musical journey began as a search for identity through tones of his trombone. His Dominican heritage and early fascination with music led him toward the expressive freedom and rhythmic vitality of the various sounds of the African music diaspora. He refined that voice at the Jackie McLean Institute at The Hartt School, studying under master trombonist Steve Davis, saxophonist and historian Rene McLean, and bassist Nat Reeves. He later went on to earn his Master of Music from New Jersey City University, where he was a Presidential Scholar and deepened his studies with bassist John Benítez, trombonist Robert Edwards and composer Gary Dial. The result is an artist whose foundation in Swing, Bebop, and Afro-Caribbean rhythm supports a broad creative vision, one that bridges cultures as naturally as it does genres.
That voice came fully into focus on his 2024 debut album, Gateway, released on Truth Revolution Recording Collective. Described by Michael as “post-bop fused with Latino elements remixed under a hip-hop lens,” the project features thirteen original compositions, each one a meditation on a moment or emotion experienced during the pandemic era. “This record,” Pallas explained in an interview, “was inspired from my time spent in lockdown and isolation in my home in Inwood, New York City. During this period I was studying composition and writing at least one song a week. Some of the themes of the compositions deal with hope, despair, death, love, social justice, celebration of life, gratitude, and doubt.”
The critical response was immediate. Jazziz Magazine named Gateway one of its “10 Albums You Need to Know: August 2024,” calling it “a powerful statement.” Meanwhile, Jazz24 introduced him to a national audience as “a powerhouse trombonist,” highlighting the album’s opening track, Life on Mars, which was also featured as the Song of the Day by All About Jazz. Five Finger Review underscored that emerging profile, writing that “Pallas’s communicative skill through his horn is well beyond his years, making him a formidable force in climbing to the top chair of today’s trombone players.” Making A Scene! went even further, calling Gateway “sweet and rich with various cultures… flavored by the originality of the Pallas compositions.” Together, these reviews solidified the project as one of the most talked-about independent jazz releases of that year, landing on Latin Jazz Network’s list of “Recordings On and Off the Beaten Path (2024).”
Beyond his work as a recording artist, Michael Pallas’ trombone continues to shape the sound of several contemporary acts that headline in New York City and abroad.
He performs regularly with Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya, which has led him to concerts at The Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Spoleto Festival USA, and KKL Luzerne in Switzerland. In it’s review of Ibrahim’s 2023 Spoleto performance, All About Jazz noted Michael’s impact within the ensemble: “Pallas emerged as the dominant force… soloing and leading the horns… then opening up for a brilliant cadenza,” underscoring his role with the legendary and historic group. His experience with Ibrahim, a bandleader whose work embodies both spiritual reflection and South African rhythm and harmony, has profoundly influenced Pallas’ own approach to storytelling through sound.
In 2025, Pallas expanded his recording presence through two major collaborations with ensembles that have become integral to his musical life.
He appears on Antibalas’ Daptone Records release Hourglass, joining the Grammy-nominated Afrobeat collective for an album that co-leader Marcos García described as “a masterclass in world-class musicianship.” Pallas’ position in Antibalas has taken him to stages across North America, Europe, and Africa including, Opéra de Lyon, The Blue Note, Paradiso, New Morning, and Jazzablanca to name a few.
That same year, he was featured as a soloist with the Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra on A Centennial Salute to Tito & Tito, recorded live at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Jazziz Discovery spotlighted the album’s closing track for its “blue-hot fire,” with Michael’s trombone solo singled out as part of an orchestra composed of some of “NYC’s most talented musicians.” A member of the ensemble since 2016, Pallas serves as the lead trombonist, performing with the group at its monthly Bronx residency and at venues including Lincoln Center and Sony Hall.
Together, these projects affirm his position among an elite class of contemporary trombonists capable of navigating the full breadth of modern Black music. From the Palladium Ballroom’s Latin legacy to the Brooklyn Afrobeat scene to the international reach of one of South Africa’s most prolific artists.
Other projects and artists that Pallas has been affiliated with and or performed alongside include Soul Science Lab, Ghazi Omair, Tipica 73, Tito Rodríguez Jr., Steve Dyer, Rene McLean, Kenny Garrett, Terence Blanchard, Steve Davis, Ed Fast & Conga Bop, Orice Jenkins, The George G Orchestra, The Robert Edwards Big Band, Son Del Monte, Victor Wail, Gilberto “Pulpo” Colón, and The Quinteros Salsa Project.
Michael Pallas’ versatility extends beyond the bandstand. He has workshopped and performed in several recent New York theatrical productions, including The Renaissance Mixtape at The Apollo’s Victoria Theater (2024), Cursed at HERE Arts Center (2024), and The Three Kings and Their Queens at Lehman Center for the Arts (2025). Each production deepened his exploration of music as narrative, connecting his instrumental voice to the storytelling traditions of theater and drama.
In addition, Pallas has received several awards and recognitions for his musicianship. Among them are the Gary Carney Award presented by Young Sounds of Arizona (2010), the Ravinia Steans Music Fellowship for Jazz Composition (2015), the Mocolo Crystal for Band of the Year (“Son Del Monte”) presented by Taino Nation Entertainment (2018), and the Presidential Scholarship from New Jersey City University (2020). Most recently, he was selected as a Visiting Partner for the Broadway Musicians Equity Project (2025).
Though performance remains at the core of his career, Pallas is equally dedicated to mentorship and community. As a Teaching Artist with the Harmony Program, he guides young brass students across New York City, emphasizing creativity and self-expression as the foundation of musicianship. He has also served as a music theory instructor and ensemble director with gifted youth musicians at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, NY. Today, he maintains a thriving private teaching studio, tailoring instruction to each student’s goals and blending discipline with imagination, both in person and online.
Michael Pallas continues to perform throughout New York City and abroad, and is currently in the early stages of developing his follow-up to Gateway. A project that will deepen his exploration of the Afro-Latino soundscape while drawing on his eclectic musical experience to inspire new compositions.
