Mark Micchelli considers his new album “Glitched-On Bop” to be a spiritual successor to “Switched-On Bach,” a 1968 album by Wendy Carlos that was the first to use synthesizers to create classical music.

“‘Glitched-On Bop’ is a jazz piano record with layers of electronic processing piled on top. All of the music was performed in a single take and all of the electronics were performed live,” he said. “There are no overdubs and only a small bit of post-processing. So while it took a lot of time to get the software working up to my standards, there’s still plenty of rawness and spontaneity in the music since I’m never exactly sure how the electronics are going to respond to my input at any given moment.”

The new album, released July 18 on New Focus Recordings, performs an electroacoustic deconstruction of five jazz and pop songs by Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Cecil Taylor and Alice Coltrane, as well as Pittsburgh’s Mary Lou Williams, whose “Roll ’Em” serves as an inspiration.

“Pittsburgh was 100% the reason for choosing that piece. In preparation for my move to Pittsburgh in fall 2019, I decided to better familiarize myself with Mary Lou Williams’ discography,” he said. “Williams’ career spanned a huge swath of jazz history — from big band to bebop to that one (ill-fated) record with Cecil Taylor — and her polystylistic flexibility is something I look up to and strive to emulate in my own playing. As for ‘Roll ’Em,’ I just find it immensely joyful. I transcribed it almost immediately after hearing it for the first time, and the next thing I knew I’d integrated it into my ‘Glitched-On Bop’ set.”

Micchelli, who completed his doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh last year and taught at Pitt, Carnegie Mellon and Community College of Allegheny County last semester, used the jazz standards as a launching point for his album.

“In jazz, to revere the original material is to change it. Doing a note-for-note imitation of another musician is borderline disrespectful,” he said. “I wanted to capture the overall vibe of the originals, but I was primarily interested in exploring my own ideas using quotation as a springboard.”

When it comes to live performances, Micchelli finds different perspectives as a spectator and as a participant.

“As an audience member, I like to watch musicians think. What decisions are they making? What challenges are they trying to overcome? What do I expect they’re about to do, and how will they surprise me?” he said. “When I’m on stage, I probably shouldn’t say this, but it’s almost like the audience isn’t there. I’m usually wrapped up in my own thoughts or enjoying the interactions between my bandmates. I love that people come to see me play, but my ‘zone’ onstage isn’t all that different from how I feel in rehearsal or in the practice room. The music takes me somewhere else.”

Micchelli filled in TribLive on what else we should know about his music:

Musician: Mark Micchelli (Piano, toy piano, percussion, electronics)

Founding story: I’ve been immersed in jazz music since I was a child, but in college, I ended up majoring in computer science. This record emerges from the combination of those two interests: what would it sound like if I used my programming chops to write software I could improvise with? I first started toying with this idea in 2018, and it took seven long years to get it just right.

For fans of: Jazz piano from Art Tatum to Cecil Taylor.

Influences: All five of the musicians whose music I feature on this album have deeply influenced my personal style: Charlie Parker, Cecil Taylor, Alice Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Mary Lou Williams. While this record leans more “out” than “in” (largely due to the electronics), I hope my respect for all aspects of the jazz tradition shines through. Besides the musicians featured on the record, I’ve also borrowed my rhythmic approach from Conlon Nancarrow, my music-theoretical approach from George Russell, my electronics-processing approach from Sam Pluta, my piano preparation approach from Denman Maroney and my piano-plus-extras approach from Shoko Nagai.

Releases: While this record is for piano+electronics solo, I’ve been in a piano+electronics duo since 2017 called Teeth and Metals. My duo partner, Alex Lough, helped to mix and master this album. Our online discography can be found on Bandcamp. I’ll be releasing my first record with my noisy fusion band, Mai Khôi & the Dissidents, on Ropeadope Records in March 2026. That band is already planning to record our follow-up album, heading into the studio in just a couple weeks.

Next shows: Mostly out-of-town. … In mid-August, I’ll be doing a workshop performance of a new opera cooking show with Mai Khôi at Madhura Studios in Brooklyn. Then, in the fall, I’ll be touring with the Cleveland-based jazz/Italian folk band Alla Boara throughout Michigan and Ohio. My next Pittsburgh gig is on Oct. 2, when I’ll be playing with the Pittsburgh Composers Quartet (me, Ben Opie, Patrick Breiner, and Adam Kantz) as part of the Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival.

How to find him: I keep an up-to-date calendar on my website, markmicchelli.net, and he also has a YouTube channel.

Three other Pittsburgh area bands to check out: Mai Khôi & the Dissidents — This is a bit of self-promotion since Khôi and I run this group together (and since Khôi and I got married back in January!) But Khôi’s story is incredible and more important than ever given the dramatic rise of fascism here and around the globe.

Precipice Community Band — Antonio Croes, Ava Lintz and George Heid III form the core trio, but they often expand to an eclectic nine-piece. I’m consistently impressed by Antonio’s desire to continually reinvent the band’s approach to the idiom, and they’re top-notch players to boot.

Pittsburgh Sound Preserve — Not a band, but an ever-growing network of experimental musicians based in Pittsburgh. They sponsor a fortnightly free improv jam session at Bantha Tea Bar (every other Monday), as well as monthly concert series at Bantha (second Sunday) and the Government Center (third Thursday).

Favorite pizza shop: Spak Brothers, which is right in my neighborhood. Go-tos are ricotta+meatball or pickle pizza.

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