Mike Block, Guzo Review
Cellist Mike Block is hailed by Yo-Yo Ma as the “ideal musician of the 21st-Century.” That is a serious accolade for the pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator. He is equally passionate and is committed to inspiring individuals and connecting communities through cross-cultural collaboration through music. Block can do this because he is comfortable in a wide range of musical styles. Block’s solo performances offer a rich mixture of core classical repertoire with original compositions. He is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble (SRE), having joined in 2005 while a student at The Juilliard School, and continues to tour extensively throughout the world with SRE. A multi-talented artist, he has been featured as cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for SRE’s album, Sing Me Home. Always seeking to connect to his audience, Block was among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap to stand and move while playing. With The Block Strap, he was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall. As an educator, Block is the founding director of Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, and the Mike Block String Camp. Block is set to release his latest album, Guzo, on August 21, 2020, on Bright Shiny Things.
Connect with Mike Block: Website |
Guzo
Swimming Under an Orange Sky (feat. CHEN TAO & HU JIANBING)
Ifrah Web-Tisem (feat. Amal Waqar)
Tune for Tunde (feat. TUNDE JEGEDE)
Iniche Cosebe (feat. Balla Kouyate)
Ariobarzanes at the Gate (feat. FARZIN DEHGHAN & EHSAN MATOORI)
Expression of Concern (feat. KINAN ADNAWI)
Guzo (feat. DANNY MEKONNEN)
Din Ka Antim (feat. BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE)
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Bright Shiny Things
44:59
9.3