Originally from Sanford, Maine, saxophonist/clarinetist Michael McGinnis has rapidly ascended the New York music scene to become one of the most sought-after players today.  His voice is a fine balancing act of unexpected elements, ranging from jazz to contemporary classical and everything in between, and unexpected qualities: versatile yet unmistakably original, thoughtful but edgy, powerful yet subtle.  It is no wonder that he is the first-call sideman for many innovative musicians.  McGinnis began playing saxophone at age ten and studied saxophone at the University of Southern Maine with Bill Street and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY before moving to New York City in 1997.  He recorded his debut CD "Tangents" with his group Between Green (which included Shane Endsley and Jacob Sacks) for Ravi Coltrane's RKM Music label in 2000.  He is a member of the four bags, ok|ok and the Lonnie Plaxico Group.  He has most recently traveled to Paris as part of Steve Coleman's Aquarius Ingress and has also performed and/or recorded with the Ohad Talmor/Steve Swallow Sextet, Ravi Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, and Art Lande, among others.  Michael has performed extensively in the US and internationally including Japan, Turkey, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and his performances and compositions have been featured on WNYC, VH1, ABC, MTV, The Daily Show and HBO.