Michael Barton
The world is a canvas and Michael Barton can’t paint.
Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Michael began performing as a bass player with college ensembles while still in high school, frequenting city clubs long before he had a driver’s license. Those early connections led him to the University of North Texas, where he earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Jazz Studies. There, he not only honed his musicianship but also explored audio recording, production, arranging, and composition, laying the foundation for a lifelong creative journey.
After graduation, Michael worked as a session musician and sideman in Dallas before returning to Chicago, the city that had inspired him years before. Back home, his artistic expression expanded beyond music to include visual art and photography. His photography has been published in numerous international magazines and exhibited in galleries across the United States. As an in-demand educator, Michael has led workshops throughout much of the U.S. and Mexico. In 2013, he became the youngest-ever fellowship recipient from the American Society of Photographers.
Seeking new ways to merge his passion for sound and form, Michael began building instrument, bridging the worlds of music and visual art.
As a performer, Michael has appeared on stage at many of Chicago’s premier venues, including the Jazz Showcase, Andy’s Jazz Club, the Green Mill, and the House of Blues, among countless others. In November 2025, he took a bold step as a bandleader with the release of The Anxiety Suite, a project that allowed him to compose, perform, produce, and design a multi sensory experience reflecting years of artistic exploration and evolution.
Available on Vinyl, CD and Digital Download
Sometimes we tell the story, and sometimes we are actors serving as a part of it.” In The Anxiety Suite, Michael Barton is storyteller and actor … artist and subject … docent and exhibit. Through the music, the artwork, and the album notes, we follow him from one stage to another; from a dangerous grade-school musical invention to crafting artisanal basses and drums played on this record; from youthful basement recording to world-class studios and back again; from disquietly crowned king to self-imposed exile; from a Master’s in Jazz Studies, to the youngest-ever Fellow of the American Society of Photographers, to the realization that peace is – at best – elusive… from the highs and lows of overindulgence to the hallelujah chorus … “Anxiety is a strange, inescapable creature yet a necessary catalyst for growth and independence
