Dr Mike Nielsen
Lecturer
Email: michael.nielsen@tudublin.ie
Tel: 01 2205000
Dr Michael Nielsen
Coordinator – Master’s in Jazz Performance Programme
Michael Nielsen holds an LTCL in classical guitar performance (Trinity College, London), and is a graduate of Technological University Dublin (MPhil in Physics and Microtonal Music—First Award) and Ulster University (PhD in Microtonal Improvisation—microtonal guitar design, composition and vocal microtonal training). He attended Berklee College of Music, Boston (’83–85— jazz improvisation, composition, arranging) and received a Jim Hall Incentive Award. Michael features on 24 CDs (two with Dave Liebman). He has performed with many international artists including, Larry Coryell, Kenny Werner, Kenny Wheeler, Dominique Di Piazza, Paul Wertico and Joe Lovano; with Liebman he toured Europe and Australia and headlined the Wangaratta Jazz Festival. In 2008 he opened for John McLaughlin on his first visit to Dublin (solo guitar). Michael has received support and commissions from arts organisations including the Arts Council of Ireland, Culture Ireland, Improvised Music Company, Moving On Music and Dept of Foreign Affairs. He has lectured worldwide on odd-metre in relation to the jazz standard cannon and published a book on rhythm for Schott. Michael is a Director of the Sligo International Summer School and Jazz Festival, and tutor, performer and Ensemble Director. He recently wrote a jazz guitar syllabus for TU Dublin (first for Ireland) and gives individual jazz guitar tuition in addition to weekly group improvisation classes.
Research Interests
Much of Michael’s work is inspired by improvisation and microtonal improvisation within diverse musical genres and interdisciplinary contexts. Michael is interested in hearing from potential collaborators, master’s or PhD students with project ideas related to the topics above. (“…at the start of his journey, Nielsen was already one of Ireland’s most respected jazz musicians with an international reputation as an innovator, but the guitarist’s artistic courage now places him among the most intrepid pioneers in jazz…”(Irish Times, microtonal CD review).
Performance
Solo Guitar
Microtonal Duo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpUq2eMjVuY
Microtonal Quartet
Duo w/Gwilym Simcock
Electric Jazz Quartet
Acoustic Jazz Quartet
Sibeal/Abbey road
Research
MPhil—TU Dublin
http://arrow.dit.ie/scienmas/27/
PhD—British Library
https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.730923
Schott Publication
https://en.schott-music.com/shop/precision-timing-no321643.htm