Mike Lang

Pianist Mike Lang joins us to share from his long experience recording piano for films and records. He talks about the state of today’s recording industry and shares interesting and funny stories about his work with famous composers.

About Mike Lang

Lang received a Bachelor of Music at the University of Michigan. In addition, he has studied under Leonard Stein (piano) and George Tremblay (composition). In Los Angeles, he studied with Pearl Kaufman and Lalo Schifrin, and commenced a freelance recording career in records, motion pictures and television. He is conversant with every possible music idiom and form, including jazz, classical, pop and R&B and has played with a great amount of artists including Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Vince Gill, *NSYNC, Milt Jackson, Lee Konitz, Diana Krall, John Lennon, Arturo Sandoval, Barbra Streisand and Frank Zappa – to mention a few.

He has recorded more than 2000 scores, working with virtually every film composer including John Williams (4), Jerry Goldsmith, James Newton Howard, Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein and Hans Zimmer. He has premiered jazz piano concerts written especially for him by Byron Olson and Brad Dechter.

He has written songs for jazz notables including Stan Getz, Fourplay, Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin, Herb Alpert, and others.