Jazz Articles about Michael Bisio

About Michael Bisio

Album Review

The cover and title of Rich Halley's latest, Fire Within, have a menacing edge, alerting us to the incendiary qualities that are always a part of the tenor saxophonist's music. But one of the remarkable things about Halley's output is that it is never one-dimensional; there are abundant nuances and surprises to keep a listener engaged, with plenty of rhythmic fervor and lyricism even amidst the more anarchic moments. And as he is united once again on his third outing ...

Album Review

Rich Halley: Fire Within

Read "Fire Within" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
November 25, 2023

The name of free form saxophonist and raconteur Rich Halley may not roll off the tongue or be a secret G7 password, but he sure kicks up a lot of dust. Put him in the same room as piano slaying Matthew Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio, and drummer Newman Taylor Baker and rest assured all hell will break loose. And when all hell breaks loose it sounds hydrogen-charged and animated like Fire Within--a runaround Hail Mary with a post-rock punch and ...

Album Review

Stephen Gauci / Michael Bisio / Whit Dickey: Live At Scholes Street Studio

Read "Live At Scholes Street Studio" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 29, 2023

Tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci sends another vital missive from the Brooklyn coal face, titled like several of its predecessors Live At Scholes Street Studio. Gauci has the knack of surrounding himself with top notch company and this is no exception. Joining him are two of the more seasoned avant jazz practitioners on the New York scene, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. Bisio himself holds the bass chair in pianist Matthew Shipp's Trio, a high profile outfit which Dickey ...

Album Review

Kirk Knuffke / Joe McPhee Quartet + 1: Keep The Dream Up

Read "Keep The Dream Up" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
July 19, 2023

Synergy might be the best way to describe the result of this assemblage of musicians. Cornetist Kirk Knuffke and saxophonist Joe McPhee combine their various ensembles to create an effect much greater than the sum of their separate parts. Knuffke has worked extensively with bassist Michael Bisio in duo and trio formats, plus in the bassist's quartet Accortet. Likewise Bisio and McPhee have a lengthy relationship, performing in settings from duos to quintets. Add to the mix drummer Jay Rosen, ...

Album Review

Kirk Knuffke / Michael Bisio: For You I Don't Want To Go

Read "For You I Don't Want To Go" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
February 25, 2023

At the root of successful enduring partnerships lies trust. Without it you need detailed instructions to make things work. Cornetist Kirk Knuffke and bassist Michael Bisio enjoy trust in spades. It allows them to dispense with signposts and cues, relying instead on the inspiration which comes from experience, skill and a shared purpose. Their collaborations include Requiem For A New York Slice (Relative Pitch, 2019) and Art Spirit (ESP, 2021), as well as their first duo outing Row For William ...

Album Review

Kirk Knuffke / Michael Bisio: For You I Don’t Want To Go

Read "For You I Don’t Want To Go" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
December 9, 2022

The oft-quoted description of a sitting meditation practice, “It's simple but not easy," might be a fitting characterization of this duo performance by cornetist Kirk Knuffke and bassist Michael Bisio. The equanimous and imperturbable approach the pair apply to this single 36-minute composition/recording dares one to disregard the high level of musicianship employed. Don't be drawn into that trap. For You I Don't Want To Go is a follow up to Row For William O (Relative Pitch Records, 2016) and ...

Album Review

Kirk Knuffke: Gravity without Airs

Read "Gravity without Airs" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
August 25, 2022

The first evidence of cornetist Kirk Knuffke's hook up with Michael Bisio surfaced on the bassist's alluring Accortet (Relative Pitch, 2015), presaging a continuing string of further collaborations. So perhaps it was inevitable that another Bisio mainstay, pianist Matthew Shipp, would enter into the mix at some point. The surprise is that it is on a date under Knuffke's leadership, which has produced the double album Gravity Without Airs, with six cuts credited to the cornetist, while the other eight ...