Michael O’Neill Quartet

Saturday, May 31, 2025
7:30 PM

Two well-known Bay Area (and beyond) musicians will be getting together for our entertainment, and inspiration, at Mildred Owen Concert Hall for one evening. Come join us to see and hear Tammy L. Hall and Michael O’Neill light up our concert hall with great sounds.

Tammy Lynne Hall began playing the piano at age four, in Dallas, Texas, where she was raised by two grandmothers, a grandfather and numerous aunts and uncles. It became evident that Music had chosen Tammy to walk its path. Giving full support for this journey were Tammy’s two grandmothers, who pooled their resources to make sure she had access to private lessons from age 8 to 18. Tammy participated in juried recitals, resulting in her winning several awards and honorable recognition in regional and national recitals and competitions. Tammy’s grandfather also contributed to her musical journey by showing films of the greats Fats Waller, Dorothy Donegan, Hazel Scott, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. These films along with the music she heard on the radio, at church, and the r&b, soul and pop records of the time, even the incidental and theme music she heard on television, all influenced Tammy’s playing. These early experiences would form the triad of Tammy’s core sound: a fusion of Jazz, Gospel and Classical.

Tammy has worked with vocalists Etta Jones, Kim Nalley, Holly Near, Linda Tillery(and the Cultural Heritage Choir), Denise Perrier, Rhonda Benin, Tiffany Austin, Pamela Rose, Lisa Ferraro, Nicolas Bearde, Branice McKenzie, Ernestine Anderson, Kenny Washington, Melba Moore, Darlene Love, Miki Howard and Queen Esther Marrow, award-winning cabaret singer and actress Connie Champagne, the Supreme Mary Wilson, chanteuse and actress Debbie De Coudreaux, Amikaeyla Gaston, The Montclair Women’s Big Band, saxophonists Houston Person, David ‘Fathead Newman’, and many more.

Michael O’Neill, a mainstay on the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene, began studying clarinet at age 10. One of his first influences was his neighbor, the great jazz and studio drummer John Guerin. After many years of undergraduate and graduate studies in biology and insect physiology, he finally decided to pursue his real passion and dedicate himself full-time to music. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began studying with the great Joe Henderson while playing in dance and salsa bands as well as jazz gigs in local clubs.

It didn’t take long for O’Neill to make a name for himself. He signed on to several steady, high-profile gigs including a 13-year engagement at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, a 7-year stint at Cetrella on the coast, and a 6-year steady gig at the Sofitel on the San Francisco Peninsula. He has played and/or recorded with Idris Muhammad, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Michael Wolff, Rodney Jones, Kenny Washington, Jackie Ryan, Tony Lindsay, Akira Tana, Michael Bluestein, Nicolas Bearde, Smith Dobson, and many others. He performs frequently at Yoshi’s and all the major venues in the Bay Area.

Doors open 7:00 PM, shows start promptly, please arrive on time.
Please note:

• Refreshments will be served before the show and through the end of intermission and can be consumed inside the hall. Refreshments are not served after intermission. Please return bottles, cups, and cans to the refreshment window before returning to your seat.
• Per our ABC licensing requirements alcohol must be always kept inside the hall. No outside wine and beer are allowed.
• We have increased our hall ventilation. Dress warmly on a cold day.

*Member Price is for current members only. Membership status will be confirmed and if necessary, the ticket price will be adjusted upon arrival at check-in, before seating.