Michael Bisio (March 4, 1955 Troy, New York) is an American jazz double bass player, composer and bandleader.

Michael Bisio bassist/composer

Bassist for the Matthew Shipp Trio since 2009.

Michael invariably astounds audiences with the beauty of his tone and the intensity of his very personal musical language. His music has garnered 4 1/2 stars from DownBeat, Jazz Times states his music "resonates with intelligence, emotional depth and probing virtuosity." Journalist Paul DeBarros in Signal to Noise notes; "For years free improvisers have explored the tactile aspect of performance, in which the nature of the encounter between the player and the instrument becomes the subject of the music itself. Bisio is one of the few musicians that has managed to meld this high-concept sense of physicality with the soulful charge of jazz. His fiddle-high, scraped overtones create a tangled choir that is impossible to resist; his expressiveness with the bow is unmatched. Having whirled the listener into a transportive state, he gently shows them the way out..."

"His expressive touch is distinctive." The New York Times

Michael appears on over 100 recordings includes 25 as leader or co leader. His recorded output has consistently meets with critical praise. Michael's first international release, In Seattle, (Silkheart), was chosen as one of the "Best Jazz Records of the 1980's" in the Village Voice. Connections, (CIMP), 2005, as reviewed in Cadence Magazine. "...this is another important disc from Bisio and company that highlights Bisio's talents as a musician, composer and bandleader." 2010 saw the release of Session at 475 Kent,(MutableMusic) with the highly acclaimed pianist Connie Crothers. 2011 releases include Michael's first solo effort Travel Music (MJB) and the highly lauded Matthew Shipp Trio recording Art of the Improviser (Thirsty Ear). In 2012 Floating Ice (Relative Pitch) duets with Matthew hit the stands. Root of Things (Relative Pitch) was released in 2014, as wasTo Duke (RogueArt).2015 recordings include The Gospel according to Matthew and Michael (Relative Pitch) and Michael Bisio Accortet (Relative Pitch). May 2016 will see the release of Row for William O. (Relative Pitch) duets with Kirk Knuffke.

"The fleet-fingered and pitch-perfect Bisio ends the piece with an absolutely jaw-dropping solo." BBC Review, Bill Tilland

As a composer Michael has been recognized with nine project grants from various arts organizations, in 2003 he was awarded an Artist Trust Fellowship and has benn instructor of bass at Bennington College since 2009. Seminal studies in creative music processes were with Bill (William O.) Smith and Stuart Dempster. Early tenure with trumpeter Barbara Donald and saxophonist Carter Jefferson left an indelible mark on Michael's music and spirit. Another major influence is Joe McPhee. Joe and Michael have created a body of work that includes two duo cds, Finger Wigglers and Zebulon, (CIMP) in addition to over a dozen other releases including: Port of Saints, (CJR), Joe Giardullo's Shadow and Light, (Drimala), and Angels, Devils and Haints, Joe Mcphee and the World Bass Quartet, (CJR).

"...he is a marvelously inventive bassist that seemingly has burst forth over the years as a musical trunk rather than a branch. His technique is formidable, both pizzicato and arco, and he taps into a virtually inexhaustible wellspring of musical ideas when he plays."

Grego Applegate Edwards, Gapplegate Music Review