GUZO | Tinnitist | July 2020

“Pioneering cello player, composer, singer and educator Mike Block has announced his latest album, Guzo, will be out Aug. 21. Guzo, which combines elements of North African, Middle Eastern and Persian musical traditions, will be Block’s third album, in three different genres, in less than one year. In conjunction, Block has released the record’s first single, Expression of Concern, featuring Syrian oud virtuoso Kinan Adnawi. Guzo means “journey” in the Amharic language. The record 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), Block “wanted to see what kind of composer I might become within different musical environments and languages.”

-Darryl Sterdan, Indie Roundup (July 2020)