Michael Bisio
Michael Bisio (March 4, 1955 Troy, New York) is an American jazz double bass player, composer and bandleader.[1]
Michael Bisio bassist/composer
Bassist for the Matthew Shipp Trio since 2009.
Michael invariably astounds audiences with the beauty of his tone and the intensity of his very personal musical language. His music has garnered 4 1/2 stars from DownBeat, Jazz Times states his music "resonates with intelligence, emotional depth and probing virtuosity." Journalist Paul DeBarros in Signal to Noise notes; "For years free improvisers have explored the tactile aspect of performance, in which the nature of the encounter between the player and the instrument becomes the subject of the music itself. Bisio is one of the few musicians that has managed to meld this high-concept sense of physicality with the soulful charge of jazz. His fiddle-high, scraped overtones create a tangled choir that is impossible to resist; his expressiveness with the bow is unmatched. Having whirled the listener into a transportive state, he gently shows them the way out..."
"His expressive touch is distinctive." The New York Times
Michael appears on over 100 recordings includes 25 as leader or co leader. His recorded output has consistently meets with critical praise. Michael's first international release, In Seattle, (Silkheart), was chosen as one of the "Best Jazz Records of the 1980's" in the Village Voice. Connections, (CIMP), 2005, as reviewed in Cadence Magazine. "...this is another important disc from Bisio and company that highlights Bisio's talents as a musician, composer and bandleader." 2010 saw the release of Session at 475 Kent,(MutableMusic) with the highly acclaimed pianist Connie Crothers. 2011 releases include Michael's first solo effort Travel Music (MJB) and the highly lauded Matthew Shipp Trio recording Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear). In 2012 Floating Ice (Relative Pitch) duets with Matthew hit the stands. Root of Things (Relative Pitch) was released in 2014, as wasTo Duke (RogueArt).2015 recordings include The Gospel according to Matthew and Michael (Relative Pitch) and Michael Bisio Accortet (Relative Pitch). May 2016 will see the release of Row for William O. (Relative Pitch) duets with Kirk Knuffke.
"The fleet-fingered and pitch-perfect Bisio ends the piece with an absolutely jaw-dropping solo." BBC Review, Bill Tilland
As a composer Michael has been recognized with nine project grants from various arts organizations, in 2003 he was awarded an Artist Trust Fellowship and has benn instructor of bass at Bennington College since 2009.
Seminal studies in creative music processes were with Bill (William O.) Smith and Stuart Dempster. Early tenure with trumpeter Barbara Donald and saxophonist Carter Jefferson left an indelible mark on Michael's music and spirit. Another major influence is Joe McPhee. Joe and Michael have created a body of work that includes two duo cds, Finger Wigglers and Zebulon, (CIMP) in addition to over a dozen other releases including: Port of Saints, (CJR), Joe Giardullo's Shadow and Light, (Drimala), and Angels, Devils and Haints, Joe Mcphee and the World Bass Quartet, (CJR).
"...he is a marvelously inventive bassist that seemingly has burst forth over the years as a musical trunk rather than a branch. His technique is formidable, both pizzicato and arco, and he taps into a virtually inexhaustible wellspring of musical ideas when he plays."
Grego Applegate Edwards, Gapplegate Music Review
Discography
As a leader: Accortet (Relative Pitch) 2015 Travel Music (MJB) 2011 * AM (CIMP) 2009 live at Vision Fest. XII (Not Two) 2009 Collar City Createology (MJB) 2009 CIMP 360: Circle This (CIMP) 2007 Connections (CIMP) 2005 Composance (Cadence) 2004 * Undulations (Omnitone) 2000 Covert Choreography (Cadence) 1996 * In Seattle (Silkheart) 1988 Ours (CT Records)1983 *
As a co-leader: Row for William O. (Relative Pitch) 2016 Floating Ice, Michael Bisio/Matthew Shipp (Relative Pitch) 2012 My Brother, Gary Hassay/Michael Bisio (Konnex) 2011 Three, SKM (clean feed) 2010 Session at 475 Kent , Connie Brothers/Michael Bisio, (Mutable-Music) 2010 Live at the Yippie, duets with Lorenz Sanguedolce (No Business Records) 2009 Pulling Strings, duets with Tomas Ulrich (CIMP) 2006 Painting Breath, Stoking Fire, duets with Avram Fefer (CIMP) 2005 Primal Intentions, duets with Joe Giardullo (Cadence) 2001 Concerted, duets with Dan Blunck (Cadence) 2001 MBEK, duets with Eyvind Kang (Meniscus) 2000* Zebulon, duets with Joe McPhee (CIMP) 1999 Finger Wigglers, duets with Joe McPhee (CIMP) 1997
With: Ivo Perelman, The Art of Perelman-Shipp Volume 4 Hyperion (Leo) 2017 Matthew Shipp / Michael Bisio Live in Seattle (Arena Music Promotion) 2016 Ivo Perelman Quartet Soul (Leo Records) 2016 Brian Groder Trio R Train on the D Line (Latham Records) 2016 Tani Tabbal Trio Triptych (Taballia Sound) 2016 Matthew Shipp, The Conduct of Jazz (Thirsty Ear) 2015 Matthew Shipp, The Gospel According to Matthew and Michael (Relative Pitch Records) 2015 Matthew Shipp Trio, To Duke (RogueArt) 2015 Walter Donnaruma Trio, On Track (crosscrane) 2015 Brian Groder, Reflexology (Latham Records) 2014 Dave Ross Quartet, Bye Bye Brooklyn Hello Everywhere (Nacht Records) 2014 Ivo Perelman, The Other Edge (Leo) 2014 Matthew Shipp Trio, Root of Things (Relative Pitch Records) 2014 Blood Trio Understory (Not Two Records) 2013 Ivo Perelman The Edge (Leo) 2013 Matthew Shipp, Greatest Hits (Thirsty Ear) 2013 Thunk (Not Two Records) 2012 Charles Gayle, Look Up (ESP) 2012 Ivo Perlman, The Gift (Leo) 2012 Scott Davidson, Dreamland 2012 Matthew Shipp, Elastic Aspects (Thirsty Ear) 2012 Jason Kao Hwang/Spontaneous River, Symphony of Souls (Mulatta Records) 2011 Louie Belogenis Trio, Tiresias (Porter Records) 2011 Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult Discoveries(CIMP) 2011 Oluyemi Thomas Positive Knowledge - Edgefest Edition (Not Two) 2011 Matthew Shipp Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear) 2011 Bob Gluck Returning (FMR) 2011 Scanner with The Post Modern Jazz Quartet Blink of an Eye (Thirsty Ear) 2010 David Arner Trio Porgy/ Bess Act 2 (CIMP) 2010 Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult, Lonely House (CIMP) 2010 Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult (CIMP) 2009 David Arner Trio Porgy/Bess Act I (CIMP) 2009 David Arner Trio Out/In the Open (Not Two) 2009 David Haney Trio Blue Flint Girl (CIMP) 2009 Old Dog By Any Other Name (Porter Records) 2009 Jimmy Bennington Trio Another Friend (ThatSwan! Records) 2009 Nicole Peyrafitte Whisk! Not Stirred (Ta'wil) 2009 Jack Gold Molina Trio Colored Houses (Soldisk) 2009 Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult If You Should Go (Cadence) 2009 Joe McPhee and the World Bass Quartet, Angels, Devils and Haints (CJR) 2009 Bob Gluck, Sideways (FMR 2008) Stephen Gauci, Basso Continuo (clean feed) 2008 Pierre Joris, Routes, not Roots (Ta'wil) 2007 Nicole Peyrafitte, The Bi-Continental Chowder (Ta'wil) 2007 Stephen Gauci Trio, Substratum (CIMP) 2007 David Haney Trio, Blues Royale (CIMP) 2006 Joe McPhee, Port of Saints (CJR) 2006 The Gauci Trio, Long Night Waiting (Cadence) 2005 Joe McPhee, Remembrance (CJR) 2005 Jack Gold 4tet, Daylight (Sol Disk) 2004 Bob Nell Trio, Soft and Bronze (Plechmo) 2004 John Heward, Let Them Pass (Drimala) 2004 Joe Giardullo, Now Is (Drimala) 2003 Joe McPhee, Let Paul Robeson Sing (CIMP) 2002 Joe Giardullo, Shadow and Light (Drimala) 2002 Bob Nell, Baby Steps (nell) 2000 Joe McPhee, No Greater Love (CIMP) 2000 Joe McPhee, In the Spirit (CIMP) 1999 Craig Flory, Wigwam Bendix (Franchise Records) 1998 Charles Gocher, Pint Sized Spartacus (GVR) 1997 Vinny Golia, Dante No Longer Repents (Music and Arts) 1997 Joe McPhee, Common Threads (Deep Listening) 1996 Rob Blakeslee Quintet, Long Narrows (Nine Winds) 1995 Scarlatti, Sacred Choral Works (Carus) 1991 Bob Nell, Chasin' a Classic (Cadence) 1984 Barbara Donald & Unity, The Past and Tomorrows (Cadence) 1983 David Zasloff, The Jazz Club (Audio Daddio) 1980
- also produced by Michael
As a composer
Bisio has composed over one hundred works of various forms and lengths for the ensembles under his leadership and many of his associates. These pieces have been performed in clubs, concert venues, and festivals. They have been broadcast over assorted media. Most have been recorded, some were composed for films and theater, and one found its way to animation.
In his book Jackson Street After Hours, Paul De Barros described Bisio as one of the preeminent heirs to Seattle's earthy yet innovative tradition and marked his compositional style as "a spare, bluesy sound, the sweet- and-sour timbres favored by Charles Mingus."
He composed the music for Karl Krogstadt's feature film, Strings. Beat Angel, a film by Randy Allred starring Vincent Balestri, features Bisio's compositions and improvisations. In his film Time & Object, animation artist Bernard Roddy uses "Something Different" from Zebulon as the score. He composed music for Music for American Voices: Bukowski, Micheline and the First Amendment, a play written and performed by Vincent Balestri.
As sideman
With Joe McPhee
- Common Threads (Deep Listening, 1996)
- Zebulon (CIMP, 1998 [1999])
- In the Spirit (CIMP, 1999)
- No Greater Love (CIMP, 1999 [2000])
- Port of Saints (CjR, 2000 [2006])
- Remembrance (CjR, 2001 [2005])
Recording artist
Bisio appears on over 100 CDs, leading on 12 CDs and co-leading on another dozen. His recorded output has consistently met with critical praise. Michael's first international release, In Seattle, (Silkheart), was chosen as one of the "Best Jazz Records of 1980s" in the Village Voice, his duet with Matthew Shipp called Floating Ice.[2] check out Michael's discography : http://michaelbisio.com/recordings.shtml
References
- ↑ "Michael Bisio resume" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-08-25.
- ↑ http://gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com
- http://michaelbisio.com/files/1%20page%20bio%206911.pdf
- http://allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=39125