Block folds myriad musics into trio performance – JH News&Guide

For cellist Mike Block, the beauty of making music lies in the human connections it forges. Over his decades of studying and performing, he has learned that the more varieties of music he can make, the more connections are possible.

One of the many outlets Block has for making these connections is the Mike Block Trio, teaming up with mandolinist Joe K. Walsh and upright bassist Zachariah Hinkman, whom the Grand Teton Music Festival will welcome for a concert starting at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Center Theater.

While the trio lineup looks sort of like a standard folk or bluegrass trio (albeit with a cello instead of the more typical fiddle), the music it makes covers a wide swath of interests and pursuits.

“Joe comes from a bluegrass background but with a strong interest in jazz,” Block said earlier this month, speaking from his home in Boston. “Zach is the opposite — he has a jazz background and strong interest in bluegrass and folk. And I’m in middle.”

The result is a mix of original compositions and intricate arrangements, including of some bluegrass standards, with a “folk-inspired” foundation that also “leans heavily on improvisation.”

“So it’s kind of classical, kind of jazz, kind of bluegrass,” Block said. “And because there’s a cello in the middle of it, it’s none of them at the time same.”

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