Michael Wolff at Feinstein's At Vitello's

Michael Wolff spent the first part of his career surrounded by jazz legends.

The Louisiana-born, Berkeley-raised pianist was just 19 when he broke into the business as a member of Cal Tjader’s band in the early ’70s. A few years later, he made his recording debut alongside the great Cannonball Adderley. He went on to perform with Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and several other A-list jazz stars.

The 54-year-old former UC Berkeley student, who now lives in New York, surely learned much from those undisputed jazz masters. In retrospect, however, his greatest tutor might have even been late-night TV host Arsenio Hall. As the band leader and musical director for “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which ran from 1989 to 1994, Wolff spent countless hours watching the host work the crowds. He obviously paid attention, for the one thing that truly differentiates Wolff from most other jazz musicians is his ability to entertain....

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Michael Wolff spent the first part of his career surrounded by jazz legends.

The Louisiana-born, Berkeley-raised pianist was just 19 when he broke into the business as a member of Cal Tjader’s band in the early ’70s. A few years later, he made his recording debut alongside the great Cannonball Adderley. He went on to perform with Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and several other A-list jazz stars.

The 54-year-old former UC Berkeley student, who now lives in New York, surely learned much from those undisputed jazz masters. In retrospect, however, his greatest tutor might have even been late-night TV host Arsenio Hall. As the band leader and musical director for “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which ran from 1989 to 1994, Wolff spent countless hours watching the host work the crowds. He obviously paid attention, for the one thing that truly differentiates Wolff from most other jazz musicians is his ability to entertain.

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