How it all started.
The first time I played sax was at "band instrument try-out day" in 4th grade. I played it for about 30 seconds. It hurt my teeth and it made me dizzy. I hated it. I picked the cello instead.
Two years later, my Poppa gave me a piece of advice that changed the course of my life forever.
"You know, Michael, cello is a beautiful instrument, but sax gets the girls."
Suddenly, I didn't mind getting dizzy anymore. I started taking sax lessons with Poppa later that year.
My first sax lessonFinding the stage.
My friends and I started a band in high school called Xazz. That's where I first discovered my passion for live entertainment. We played hundreds of events together., including a segment on WGN Live, the Chicago Emmy Awards, and a Joe Biden rally.
We also won the Bitter Jester Music Festival, which is now one of the largest live music competitions in the country. The organizer of the event apologized to me for only giving out four awards — best vocalist, guitarist, bassist and drummer — and told me that if they had an "any other instrumentalist" award, it would have gone to me. They eventually created that award — The Michael Brook Outstanding Instrumentalist Award — and awarded it to me retroactively.
I was named an Illinois All State Saxophonist in 2015, and I accepted a performance scholarship from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign the following year. I graduated in 2020 with a Bachelors in Music Education.
Xazz at BJMFZORILA.
Graduating 2 months into the pandemic threw my plans to teach completely off track. I ended up making a LinkedIn account, getting a sales job at a freight brokerage, and moving downtown to River North. It was in Chicago that I joined indie-rock band ZORILA, playing sax, keys and backup vocals.
ZORILA headlined some prestigious Chicago venues, including Lincoln Hall, Joe's On Weed Street, Schubas Tavern, and Chop Shop. We also shared the stage with bands like Stolen Gin, Ax & The Hatchetmen, The Astronomers, and The Unlikely Candidates.
Check us out on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or wherever else you listen to music!
ZORILA headlining Lincoln HallThat Sax Guy Events.
In 2022, ZORILA's manager at the time, Drew, was also a wedding DJ. A couple had asked him for a saxophonist for their dance floor, and luckily for me, his other sax player was busy. Although I had never played a wedding dance floor before, Drew had seen me perform with ZORILA and trusted me enough to give me the job. That's where That Sax Guy Events began.
As soon as the first song came on and everyone rushed to the dance floor, it hit me — This was one of the most special moments in this couple's lives, and I had the honor and privilege of bringing that special moment to life. In that moment, I knew that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.
ZORILA went on hiatus in late 2024, which gave me the time to focus fully on weddings and events. I officially launched That Sax Guy Events in 2025. Since then, I've played over 50 weddings and events as a solo saxophonist, and have received dozens of requests for events in 2026 and beyond.
I still cannot believe that I get to spread joy on the happiest days of people's lives for a living. I have an overwhelming amount of gratitude for this career and this life, and I am reminded of that every time I perform.
