Mike Santiago & Entity

Mike Santiago & Entity were an American jazz-rock quintet that released the 1977 Chiaroscuro album White Trees. Bassist Dave LaRue later joined the Steve Morse Band and Dixie Dregs.

Members: Mike Santiago (guitar), Richard Sussman (piano), Dave LaRue (bass), Ronnie Glick (drums), Tom Baker (percussion, congas, vibraphone)

Background

Mike Santiago & Entity formed around guitarist Mike Santiago, who assembled a jazz-rock quintet with pianist Richard Sussman, bassist Dave LaRue, drummer Ron Glick, and percussionist–vibraphonist Tom Baker.

Santiago worked as a guitarist and private instructor in central New Jersey. In October 1974, he played a guitar engagement at Gulliver’s in West Paterson. By August 1975, he led a trio with weekly Thursday appearances in Morgan. He also joined saxophonist Arnie Lawrence in Treasure Island, an ensemble with vibraphonist Dave Samuels and trumpeter Tom Harrell that played Richard’s Lounge in Lakewood.

In 1976, Santiago joined Samuels in the New Sextet of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. They cut the Chiaroscuro album Idol Gossip in New York during October–November sessions with producer Hank O’Neal. The sextet toured West Germany that December, including a Berlin appearance with flugelhornist Art Farmer. Santiago also led a quartet at Richard’s Lounge and accompanied Mulligan at Carnegie Hall during the June 1977 Newport Jazz Festival. He played electric guitar on Catwalk, the 1977 Mercury album by drummer Chico Hamilton.

Sussman was born on February 28, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied classical piano and took jazz lessons with pianist Bernard Peiffer and guitarist Dennis Sandole. After attending Swarthmore College, Sussman moved to New York in 1967 and joined Elephant’s Memory. He played piano and organ on their 1969 Buddah debut and co-wrote “Old Man Willow” and “Jungle Gym at the Zoo,” both featured in the film Midnight Cowboy.

In 1970, Sussman moved to San Francisco, where he played on the Country Joe McDonald album Hold On It’s Coming. He joined Grootna, a Berkeley rock-soul sextet that cut a self-titled 1971 Columbia album with producer Marty Balin. Sussman returned to New York in 1974 and studied with pianists Richie Beirach, Roland Hanna, and Mike Longo. He toured briefly with Buddy Rich in 1976 and joined the Lionel Hampton orchestra the following year.

LaRue grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and took up bass when a drummer friend needed a replacement player. Glick entered the Greenwich Village jazz circuit in the late 1960s and worked in traveling show bands.

O’Neal operated Downtown Sound, a sixteen-track studio at 173 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. Santiago reconnected with the Chiaroscuro founder for a two-day Entity session on October 13–14, 1977. The pair co-produced with engineer Bruce Gerstein for the Chiaroscuro album White Trees.

Discography:

• White Trees (1977)

References and notes

• Down Beat – November 7, 1974. Contemporary club listing identifies Santiago at Gulliver’s in West Paterson. (Club listings)
• Metuchen Recorder – August 6, 1975. Advertises weekly Thursday appearances by the Mike Santiago Trio in Morgan. (Advertisement)
• Down Beat – July 15, 1976. Contemporary Treasure Island coverage identifies Santiago, Arnie Lawrence, and Dave Samuels. (Concert report)
• Down Beat – December 16, 1976. Lists the Mike Santiago Quartet at Richard’s Lounge in Lakewood. (Club calendar)
• Chiaroscuro Records – Undated. Confirms Gerry Mulligan sextet personnel, 1976 sessions, and Hank O’Neal production. (Idol Gossip)
• Art Farmer Discography – Undated. Documents the December 1976 Berlin performance with Mulligan, Santiago, and Farmer. (Concert data)
• Billboard – July 16, 1977. Contemporary Newport Jazz Festival report confirms Santiago with Mulligan at Carnegie Hall. (Festival report)
• Jazz Codex: Catwalk – Undated. Identifies Santiago among the electric guitarists on the Chico Hamilton album. (Album credits)
• Jazz.com: Richard Sussman – Undated. Detailed biography establishes schooling, teachers, Elephant’s Memory, Grootna, and later bandleader engagements. (Biography)
• American Film Institute – Undated. Film catalog confirms Sussman songwriting credits for two Elephant’s Memory tracks. (Film credits)
• AllMusic: Grootna – Undated. Confirms Sussman membership, Bill Graham management, and Marty Balin production. (Band biography)
• For Bass Players Only – December 7, 2009. LaRue recalls his introduction to bass and early New Jersey music circuit. (LaRue interview)
• Jersey Jazz – April 2014. Recounts Ron Glick and Michelle Glick in the Greenwich Village jazz scene. (Page 40)
• Hank O’Neal interview – September 1, 2021. O’Neal recounts Downtown Sound, Chiaroscuro operations, and the late-1976 recording expansion. (Interview)
• Musicbase: White Trees – Undated. Transcribes original LP personnel, production credits, studio dates, and track authorship. (Sleeve credits)