The Mike Block Trio - Fla Flu
Mike Block Trio Recorded live at P.M. Sundays in Richmond Congregational Church
Mike Block Trio, Featuring Joe K. Walsh (mandolin) and Zachariah Hickman (bass), is a supergroup of three unique and virtuosic musicians. By fertilizing American roots music with contemporary and international influences, they bring an exciting and unique perspective to acoustic music.
Mike Block
Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, hailed by Yo-Yo Ma as the "ideal musician of the 21st-Century." Passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music, Mike is committed to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. At home in a wide range of musical styles, through a multi-genre approach to composition, performance and education, he seeks to inspire audiences and empower musicians to find joy in the full world of music.
Mike is member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble (SRE), having joined in 2005 while a student at The Juilliard School. Touring extensively throughout the world with SRE, he has been featured as cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album, Sing Me Home. Mike also served as Music Director for SRE’s acclaimed opening concert of New York City's Central Park SummerStage 2011 season "Night at the Caravanserai: Tales of Wonder".
As an innovator, Mike is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap in order to stand and move while playing. Employing his patented design, The Block Strap, Mike was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall. The NY Times characterized the performance as, "Breathless ... Half dance, half dare."
Joe K. Walsh
Joe K. Walsh is a Bluegrass mandolin player and singer known internationally as an exceptionally tasteful player from his work with the legendary Gibson Brothers band, which the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) has named winner of awards for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Song of the Year. Joe has also released two recordings under his own name, featuring original compositions and vocals, as well as friend and legendary fiddler Darol Anger, with whom Joe regularly tours. After being the first mandolinist to graduate from the Berklee College of Music on that instrument, Joe returned to Berklee in 2011 as both a mandolin instructor and as Managing Director of the American Roots Music Program.
Produced with facilities provided by Vermont Community Access Media (VCAM).
