Mike block’s
GUZO

CD & Digital

Release Date: August 21, 2020
“Guzo”, meaning “journey” in the Amharic language, features eight original compositions, each inspired by a different culture and style of music: Malian, Levantine Arabic, Indian, Nigerian, Persian, Gulf Arabic (Khaliji), Ethiopian, and Chinese. Inspired by the idea that different parts of our personality manifest when interacting with different types of people (I.E. you act differently around your boss than with your friends), or when you are in different environments (you act differently at home than at church. I wanted to see what kind of composer I might become within different musical environments and languages. Each composition was recorded collaboratively with musicians native to each style, many of whom are close friends that I could trust with my vulnerability as I invited them into my compositional and arranging process. My goal was for the musicians featured on each piece to feel they could play naturally in their native language, while finding my own personal voice translated into that language. Some collaborators are long-time colleagues in the Silk Road Ensemble, some I originally met as students through my work directing Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, and others I reached out to specifically for this project. The journey that resulted is both personal and social, internal and external, psychological and geographic.
-Mike Block