In Memory of Mike Bratlie

Mike plays with a Joral bucket mute.

Mike played a muted passage at the St. Mary's Fall Festival, September 9, 2006.

Hear Mike playing the tag at the end of "Star Dust".
Hear Mike's solo on "Sleepy Time Gal".
Hear Mike playing in the trombone family feud on "Woodchopper's Ball".

Mike played lead trombone in the 2003 fund raising dance for the Children's Hospital Assocation of St. Paul.

Mike plays trombone. Larger picture is 105KB.


Role in Roseville Big Band: 

Lead trombone; Mike has also written several arrangements and compositions for the band.

Member during: 

April, 1996, until his disappeance in June, 2012

Occupation: 

Retired airline pilot

Mike also performed with the Nova Jazz Band and the Ridges Prince of Peace Big Band and led the Indian Head Council Boy Scout Jazz Band. At St. Michael's in Bloomington, he directed the orchestra and performed with the Good News Big Band and the brass ensemble. He led the orchestra in his arrangement of "Great is Thy Faithfulness" in the summer of 2001.

His arrangements have been performed by the Diamond Valley Big Band in Melbourne, Australia, and several Twin Cities ensembles, including the Good News Big Band and the Nova Jazz Band. The Minneapolis Trombone Choir and Apple Valley High School jazz band (with extra trombonists) have performed Mike's composition, "Gopher Baroque".

Mike was the leader of and principal arranger for the septet Jazz Etc., which included trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, guitar, bass, drums, and vocalist.

After retiring in 2006, Mike joined the Commemorative Air Force, whose hangar dances the Roseville Big Band has performed for since the late 1970's. In 2006, Mike created a swing medley of the United States military service songs, to premiere at the spring hangar dance.

In addition to the service song medley, Mike's arrangements include "Silver's Serenade", "'Round Midnight," "Grace Yourself," "Jordu," "Wave," and an arrangement of "I'll Remember April" based on Tom Padveen's trombone choir version. His compositions for the band include "Teaser" and "Casa del Sol."

Mike last arrangement for the Roseville Big Band is a vocal quartet version of "G. I. Jive," which he created for the Rosetones to sing with the band. It received its premiere performance at the Spring 2007 Commemorative Air Force dance.

This page was last updated
Friday, June 18, 2021.


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