Jazz Articles about Mike Arroyo

Mike Arroyo: Transition

by Edward Blanco
June 17, 2009

Mike Arroyo, from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico is no ordinary jazz artist. He believes in a higher calling where his devotion to music is secondary to his commitment to his faith. Arroyo is a jazz guitarist who is first and foremost a full-time pastor with an almost religious fervor to spreading the music as well as the Gospel. After his first release, My Jazzy Mood (Self Published, 2006), Arroyo marks his second album as leader celebrating his Transition into the ...

Mike Arroyo: My Jazzy Mood

by Michael P. Gladstone
January 25, 2007

Guitarist/composer/arranger Mike Arroyo's press release affirms that he is a pioneer on the sacred music scene in Puerto Rico. Having received the inspiration for Christian music from his parents, Arroyo studied at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, as well as taking instruction from jazz guitarists Vic Juris, Jody Fisher and several others. His 2001 debut album, Straight to Heaven, was a first insofar as it merged jazz and religious worship music. On My Jazzy Mood, he mixes in religious ...

Mike Arroyo: My Jazzy Mood

by Jim Santella
November 5, 2006

Smooth jazz guitarist Mike Arroyo recorded these sessions several years ago in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Brooklyn, New York. His guitar takes us on a tour of traditional tunes, a few spiritual excursions, and plenty of Latin jazz textures to complement the scene.

Arroyo prefers a gentle touch and a fluid technique that allows him to enunciate melodies simply and plainly. Electric bass, drums, a distant piano and catch-all congas complement the sound. Solo work comes from ...