Tune In, Turn On
By Doug Deutsch
December 1st, 2022
Back in time, when I first lived at the Shore, Michael Pedicin was not only a well-respected jazz saxophonist; he also promoted big-name concerts on Garden Pier in Atlantic City. Michael and I stayed in touch periodically throughout the years, as I did with many of the musicians in the area. We recently caught up with Pedicin to see what he’s been up to, discuss his involvement in the recent Pat Martino Tribute, and more.
DD: Tell us what you’ve been doing since we first knew each other back in the eighties, when you were also promoting rock shows at Garden Pier?
MP: The answer to this could be a book or two! During the time to which you are referring, I decided to get off of the road for a while to try and stay in one place, which was Atlantic City. Like many of us at that time, I assumed Atlantic City would become this wonderful opportunity to do something special in the arts and entertainment, in addition to what was going on at the casinos. Between 1984-1989, I became the Musical Director at five casinos: Tropicana; Sands; Trump’s Marina; Claridge, and Elsinore (formerly Playboy). I had also decided to present alternative forms of music in the area, outside of the casinos. I presented some rock and lots of jazz at various venues: Garden Pier, Gardner’s Basin, etc. hoping to increase the cultural environment here. At the time I was still touring with jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, and also became the first Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University, from 1981-1988. In 1994 I went back to Graduate school; in 2002, earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Read the rest of the review at https://shorelocalnews.com/catching-up-with-jazz-man-michael-pedicin/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/michael-pedicin-just-the-three-of-us-at-chris-jazz-cafe-michael-pedicin