Featured Tune |
Mike's Biography
| Featuring Mike Fritz on piano. |
Mike Fritz Biography
Mike is an accomplished musician with over 20 years of playing experience.
He currently performs in the Boston area with two different bands:as the
leader/pianist/vocalist of the Mike Fritz Band and as the pianist/harmonicist
in the John Denley Band.
Mike began playing professionally in the 1980's, playing alto saxophone in
various rock n' roll bands in New York City. Over time, Mike's musical tastes
started changing more toward blues and jazz. He decided to attend the
Berklee Colege of Music in Boston to achieve a solid musical education.
At Berklee, Mike concentrated on piano--an instrument he had studied as a
child--and studied with Donald Brown and John Arcaro. He also started
playing diatonic and chromatic harmonica.
In 1987, he formed Nine Below Zero, a blues fusion band. Nine Below Zero
achieved great success in the Boston area, opening for such blues giants
as Koko Taylor, Robben Ford, Son Seals and Treat Her Right. They also
recorded 'Tears Like Diamonds', an album that included a guest apperance
from virtuoso Ronne Earl.
Today, Mike is considered one of Boston's greatest harmonica players. He
has carved out a new style of diatonic playing using different tunings that
allow him to play a much greater variety of harmonic variety than usually
associated with the 'blues harp'.
MIke is also considered a solid jazz and blues pianist, performing regularly
with the Mike Fritz Band, the World Headquarters Jazz Band, and the John
Denley band.
Mike is also producing and directing Blue Midnight, a biographical
documentary on Little Walter, who is widely regarded as the greatest and
most influential blues harmonicist of all time. Mike was awarded a grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts to work on the film, which is due
for release in late 2006.
Mike is an accomplished musician with over 20 years of playing experience.
He currently performs in the Boston area with two different bands:as the
leader/pianist/vocalist of the Mike Fritz Band and as the pianist/harmonicist
in the John Denley Band.
Mike began playing professionally in the 1980's, playing alto saxophone in
various rock n' roll bands in New York City. Over time, Mike's musical tastes
started changing more toward blues and jazz. He decided to attend the
Berklee Colege of Music in Boston to achieve a solid musical education.
At Berklee, Mike concentrated on piano--an instrument he had studied as a
child--and studied with Donald Brown and John Arcaro. He also started
playing diatonic and chromatic harmonica.
In 1987, he formed Nine Below Zero, a blues fusion band. Nine Below Zero
achieved great success in the Boston area, opening for such blues giants
as Koko Taylor, Robben Ford, Son Seals and Treat Her Right. They also
recorded 'Tears Like Diamonds', an album that included a guest apperance
from virtuoso Ronne Earl.
Today, Mike is considered one of Boston's greatest harmonica players. He
has carved out a new style of diatonic playing using different tunings that
allow him to play a much greater variety of harmonic variety than usually
associated with the 'blues harp'.
MIke is also considered a solid jazz and blues pianist, performing regularly
with the Mike Fritz Band, the World Headquarters Jazz Band, and the John
Denley band.
Mike is also producing and directing Blue Midnight, a biographical
documentary on Little Walter, who is widely regarded as the greatest and
most influential blues harmonicist of all time. Mike was awarded a grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts to work on the film, which is due
for release in late 2006.
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