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Biography
Mike's professional career began playing the guitar, and occasional violin, with soul, blues and reggae bands in the London club scene of the early 1970s. All-nighters at the Flamingo Club with the System Soul Band opposite bands like Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames were followed by a year with Junior's Conquest, which featured Hammond organist/guitarist Junior Marvin (later of Bob Marley and The Wailers). This was followed by 2 years with Gass with whom he recorded his first album, which featured Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green as a guest. A change to a more acoustic style resulted in work with Paul Brett (3 albums), Paul King (Mungo Jerry - 3 albums), Ralph McTell (6 albums), Bert Jansch (2 albums), and three years as a member of the re-formed Pentangle, replacing John Renbourn, (2 albums). Other bands include The Denny Laine Band (1 album), for two years, Phil Collins' "Zox & the Radar Boys"(a sideline from Genesis). Also Keith Nichols' Ragtime Orchestra which featured in the Bix Beiderbeck concert series (featuring Guy Barker) at the Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall. He has also worked with the Kimbara Brothers, Martin Taylor, Jack Emblow, Big Jim Sullivan, Diz Disley, John Joyce, John Etheridge, Gary Potter, Campbell Burnap, Digby Fairweather, Bucky Pizzarelli, Marty Grosz, Ken Peplowski, Herbie Flowers, Peter Ind, Nils Solberg, Jeff Green, The Hot Club of London, Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band (honorary member-3 albums), and The Lord Colwyn Band (society gigs - 1 album), and works regularly as a session musician. For a week each year, for five years he has been jazz/rock violin/guitar tutor with the "Herbie Flowers Rockshop" at the Dartington International Summer School. The first International violin festival - "The Genius of the Violin" - held in London in 2004, featured a live broadcast from the 606 Club. The "Violin Summit" included Mike with Christian Garrick and Stuart Hall, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3's "Jazz Notes".
Mike currently guests at festivals and jazz clubs in the UK and abroad, including an appearance as a member of Martin Taylor's "Spirit of Django" at the Xabia Jazz Festival in Spain in 2005. Two shows, "Grappelli - A Celebration" and "Stringing the Blues" are currently receiving enthusiastic reviews. Another, currently successful venture is with "Wheatley's Arcadians", a unique group of multi-instrumentalists - including early jazz and Hawaiian music.
In addition to guest appearances on numerous recordings by other artists Mike's first CD release "Blues for Stuff and Steph", featuring his quartet, has received excellent reviews from music publications in the UK, the USA, Jazz FM and BBC radio's "Jazz Notes".
The recent CD "Take a Walk" is receiving
excellent reviews and media coverage, including Humphrey Lyttelton opening his BBC Radio 2
"Best of Jazz" with "Struttin' Stuff" from the CD. (He also opened a
previous show with a track from "Blues for Stuff and Steph"). See rave review in
"Jazz Journal International"( September 2007).
A recent publication "Stephane Grappelli - with and without Django", by Paul
Balmer (Sanctuary Publications), includes recognition of Mike's work.
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Links that may be of interest:
Anthony Barnett- www.abar.net
www.spotlightentertainments.com