Michael Bartlett - Guitarist/Vocalist

Whether it is solo jazz guitar as a classy and upscale atmosphere for an intimate setting, or pop solo guitar and vocals for a more current and engaging backdrop or performance to duo with upright bassist or trio with drummer, I fit the performance, genre and engagement to the event and client. Where other performers and artists have a "one size fits all" or cookie cutter approach - only offering the catalog of material or genre in their repertoire - I have such a wide variety of genres and musical stylings at my disposal, I tailor to fit the engagement.

Springing from a musical family in Texas, Michael was the youngest of four children born of multi-instrumental parents who immersed their heirs in a wide swath of music, rhythms and cultures from all over the world. His childhood home was filled with Gospel, Jazz, Latin Sambas, World, African and Cuban rhythms, Showtunes, Bossa Novas, Bluegrass, Classical, Western Swing, to name a few.

With his older siblings already performing at a very young age, he sought to find a spot for himself initially with trombone. Embouchure being what it is, that didn't last long and he turned his attention to drums, piano and then in his adolescent years, guitar.
Little did he know all that diverse music from his childhood had taken root and although the 1980's would usher in a sound and look all its own that Michael easily gravitated toward, it was to his roots that he would ultimately return and leave the mullets and pointy guitars behind. Purchasing a copy of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album was the catalyst and halfway through Cannonball's solo in Flamenco Sketches, Michael knew this was the music he wanted to play. Purchasing an archtop and pursuing Jazz for the next 20 years, he eventually developed his own voice which amalgamated all of it.

In his professional tenure of over thirty years, Michael has led notable Jazz trios/quartets and ensembles as well as Pop, R&B/Soul, Country, Blues and Rock groups throughout the South and Northward. Whether performing music spanning from The Great American Songbook and Tin-Pan Alley through Bebop and Bossa Novas to modern pop and more, Michael Incorporates a variety of guitar-led instrumentals and vocal-fronted tunes and remains appropriate for any occasion and venue.

"Performance is a conversation not only between the musicians, but with the audience as well." said Michael when asked about his particular syle of engagement. "People go out to have an experience and I provide them with just that. This isn't a monologue, it's an exchange" Though originally born and raised in Texas, he now calls Pittsburgh, PA home and performs weekly at local venues.

Having everything I need for either a solo and intimate performance to a full-scale lively and engaging quartet, I am a one-stop-shop, complete with full, yet compact and modern PA and lighting if required.