Album Notes

Beginning his musical training at the age of five, Michael Scherer quickly advanced as a classical pianist and matured into a jazz pianist and trombonist during his teen years. He recently finished recording his debut smooth jazz CD, “Exceeding Expectations,” with all of his own material. Consisting of a fresh new sound blending dynamic funk-driven melodies with soothing jazz grooves, “Exceeding Expectations” combines his previous performance experience and production skills.

Showcasing his eclectic style, the 14-track album highlights Scherer’s ability to combine different genres with his classical jazz training to produce a unique sound. What sets him apart is his approach to music: his deep understanding of a variety of musical techniques allows him to create fresh sounds with influences from other genres while respecting the fundamentals of smooth jazz music. The result is a genuinely refreshing and unique sound.
Scherer has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, performing his music at prestigious jazz festivals such as The North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands, and The Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. His jazz trio, The Half Note Trio, was recently featured as the special guest at the Central Illinois Jazz Festival. Scherer was also invited to perform for Congressman Aaron Shock’s speaking engagement at Decatur’s Chamber of Commerce annual dinner meeting.

In addition to his musical performance career, Scherer graduated in three years from Millikin University with a degree in Commercial Music. He is the owner and CEO of DreamVizion Productions, a one-stop audio production company specializing in advertising audio for radio and television commercials, website audio and on-hold music services featuring rock, hip-hop, jazz, classical, and orchestral jingles and a variety of other genres. His diverse musical talent is further showcased by his participation in his first film scoring project. He recently finished scoring the music to the feature film, “Slap Down,” composing songs ranging from vocal infused disco and Asian fluted fight songs, to full rock anthems and scoring a full orchestra. “Slap Down” is set to debut at the Sundance Film Festival and 15 other festivals across the world.

Scherer has arranged music for many artists on major record labels including “The Christmas To Remember” (EMI) and Adrian B King’s “You’re Awesome!” (Sony BMG). He is also the Director of the Fine Arts Program through Reasonable Service in Decatur, Illinois, and teaches private piano and trombone lessons locally.

With his music experiences ranging from his jazz training in the renowned MacArthur High School Jazz program to his tour days with the Half Note Trio and even his film scoring affair, Scherer is sure to delight listeners with his unique funk-infused twist on smooth jazz. His album, “Exceeding Expectations” will give fans a taste of what to expect from him while at the same time introducing them and the world to his varied talents.