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Michael Bisio: Accortet
A history of the accordion in jazz would be a slight volume. The accordion sits midway between horn and keyboard, and perhaps it's a surprise given its versatility that it doesn't have a higher profile. Klezmer influenced companies apart, the rollcall at the exploratory end of the spectrum would include Anthony Braxton (of course), The Claudia Quintet, and Gato Libre, but not too much else. To that roster must now be added Michael Bisio's Accortet. The bassist's outfit investigates the ...
read moreMichael Bisio: Accortet
There is a cartoon circulating the internet that depicts a criminal suspect being interrogated by police. Also in the room is a jazz bassist. The detective tells his partner, “he'll talk, everyone talks during the bass solo." That may be true, unless the bassist is Michael Bisio. Whether performing with pianist Matthew Shipp or saxophonist Ivo Perelman, Bisio's presence is always prominent and unmistakable. His collaborations always tend to be more than accompaniment. He is the constant yin to another ...
read moreMichael Bisio: Accortet
Named after its unusual instrumentation, Accortet is the eponymous debut of a quartet led by renowned contrabassist Michael Bisio, featuring the unique frontline of accordion and cornet, played by Art Bailey and Kirk Knuffke, respectively, with Michael Wimberly manning the drums. An in-demand sideman among free jazz luminaries such as Joe McPhee, Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp, Bisio seldom issues albums as a bandleader these days, making this recording all the more intriguing for its inclusion of some surprisingly accessible ...
read moreThe Most Beautiful Thing
For me music is full of magic, mystery, spirituality, joy, passion and fire, blue to red, yet my journey to conceptualize finds me chasing the most objective truths I can discover, truths stripped of every aesthetic element possible. In High School during an intro to theory class my teacher announced: music is sound in time. We tapped metal chairs with pencils, scratched blackboards until they screamed, and poked and prodded classmates hoping for squeals of surprise, trying to discover music ...
read moreMichael Bisio / Matthew Shipp Duo: Floating Ice
Although bassist Michael Bisio has performed with pianist Matthew Shipp on occasion over the past few years, very little documentation of their working relationship existed until the formation of Shipp's current trio, which features Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. Floating Ice, their first recording together as a duo, arrives on the cusp of the trio's live debut, Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear, 2011), and studio follow-up, Elastic Aspects (Thirsty Ear, 2012).The locomotive title track opens the date, ...
read moreMichael Bisio: Stepping Into the Limelight
Bassist Michael Bisio has become an increasingly visual and aural presence on the jazz/improvisation scene in the time since he moved from the west coast to New York. Yet he has been a significant contributor in jazz circles for years, and success was no overnight thing. Among other ongoing associations, Bisio is currently the bassist in pianist Matthew Shipp's trio and Tomas Ulrich's Cargo Cult. Bisio also leads his own group. His discography is extensive and covers much ground.
read moreMichael Bisio Five Bass Hit: Live at Vision Fest. XII; By Any Other Name; Collar City Creatology; Colored Houses; Sideways
Michael Bisio Quartet live at Vision Fest. XII NotTwo 2009 Old Dog By Any Other Name Porter Records 2009 Michael Bisio/ George Muscatello/ Dean Sharp Collar City Creatology MJB Records 2008 Jack Gold-Molina Colored Houses Sol Disk 2009 Bob Gluck ...
read moreMichael Bisio Quartet: CIMP 360: Circle This
A musical voice is hard to acquire for one musician much less a quartet. But there is always a beginning. The musical ingredients need to be simultaneously strong and viable. Compatibility of the instruments stands out as an element of connectivity. And the willingness from the band members to stick together is the glue that assures that a “sound will come through.
Bassist Michael Bisio leads such a band, formed in January 2005 and made up of Avram ...
read moreMichael Bisio & Tomas Ulrich: Pulling Strings
Of all the string lineups, the bass and cello don't often get to hang together. The generally underutilized cello is often called in place of the bigger bass, or sometimes (as in Ron Carter's case) is used as a second instrument. The bass is generally not invited to string quartet parties, and it's generally paired with higher-pitched instruments or left with supplanting rhythm. Michael Bisio and Tomas Ulrich, however, find a terrain to stake claim to in the low-register duo. ...
read moreMichael Bisio: Undulations
Seattle-based composer/bassist Michael Bisio has crafted a sure-fired winner with this release titled, Undulations. The bassist’s well-orchestrated miniatures surge forward with the grace and zeal of a big band, especially on the steamy opener titled, “Doesn’t Really”. Here, West Coast trumpeter Rob Blakeslee goes head to head with viola performer Jim Nolet in concert with an enthusiastic swing vamp as the quintet renders darting lines atop pianist Bob Nell’s blazing arpeggios and swiftly executed single note leads. However, the rapid ...
read moreMichael Bisio / Eyvind Kang: MBEK
An entire program of tandem string discourse may seem at first perusal like at unsavory offering. Few are the numbers of improvising string aggregations that can make such a combination work. Fortunately, as becomes immediately apparent once the music here begins Michael Bisio and Eyvind Kang are string stylists of the strong distinction and their collective mastery of pitch and timbre allows for an infinite array of sonic possibilities. Bisio has collaborated with some of the legends of creative music ...
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