#blaque dynamite

Bill Frisell - 11.14.2019 @ The Art Institute

LA-by-way-of-Chicago musician/producer, Greg Spero, was in town for a quick run of shows with his insane band Spirit Fingers (Spero / Hadrien Feraud / Mike Mitchell / Dario Chiazzolino) and managed to squeeze a duo set in with drummer Blacque Dynamite (aka the aforementioned Mitchell) to kick off King Hippo’s Jazz Spectrum series at The Whistler.  Over the course of offthecuff two sets, apparently their first as a duo, the pair found seemingly endless ways to warp elements of jazz, funk, hip hop and live production into the kind of deeplistening improvisation that can only come from years of playing together...before easing into Miles and Herbie tunes to close the evening. Keep an eye on these dudes - Spero is currently focusing on his Tiny Room live web series and you can sometimes catch him out with Makaya McCraven. Mitchell is in Europe at the moment with a trio lead by Shaun Martin (Snarky Puppy). Greg Spero & Blaque Dynamite 10.2.2018 @ The Whistler Chicago, IL Spero / Mitchell - 10.2.1028 @ The Whistler set1 I Spero / Mitchell - 10.2.1028 @ The Whistler set1 II Spero / Mitchell - 10.2.1028 @ The Whistler set2 I Blue in Green [Miles Davis] improv > Blue in Green [Miles Davis] encore: Actual Proof [Herbie Handcock] Greg Spero - keyboards / live production Mike Mitchell - drums / percussion stream download

Blaque Dynamite is the pseudonym for award-winning drummer Mike Mitchell, born November 12, 1994. He began playing drums at just two-years-old, and by age 11 he already had a number of endorsements from various drum companies; and then he went on to attend Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, TX, a school that also fostered the talents of Norah Jones, Erykah Badu, and Roy Hargrove. Mitchell began touring the world with legendary bassist Stanley Clarke (a role which he retains) before he graduated high school, and has now toured the seven continents of the world with the likes of Erykah Badu, Derrick Hodge, Christian McBride, Christian Scott, and others, and even performed on a global stage at the 2012 International Jazz Day performance with Herbie Hancock.