biography

Known for his work in the Latin music field, Michael Spiro is an internationally recognized percussionist, educator and recording artist. 

Michael is a ten-time Grammy nominee, and has produced seminal recordings in the Latin music genre such as “Canto América”, “BataKetu”,  “BataMbira”, “Mark Levine and the Latin Tinge”, and “Grupo Ilu-Aña”. His performing and recording credits cover an array of internationally known artists: from such pop artists as David Byrne, Carlos Santana, and Charlie Watts, to Latin music icons Eddie Palmieri, Israel Lopez (Cachao), and Richard Egues, to such jazz luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Hutcherson, and McCoy Tyner. 

In 2011 Michael was appointed Associate Professor of Percussion at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where he developed the curriculum for Latin music and culture in both the percussion and jazz departments. He retired from that position in 2019, but remains dedicated to music education. His percussion books have set the standard for Latin music pedagogy, he has performed and produced internationally acclaimed DVDs and web content, and continues to be in high demand as a guest artist at universities and percussion organizations worldwide. 

Michael remains an extremely active recording artist—in 2017 he co-produced “Canto America” with his long time working partner Wayne Wallace. It received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for a 2017 Grammy in the Latin-Jazz category. Most recently, Michael collaborated with Jose Luis Gomez to release a recording of contemporary Cuban rumba: “Mabagwe - a Tribute to the Elders”.  Produced by his long time musical colleague Jesús Diaz, it is dedicated to his mentors Regino Jimenez and Esteban Vega Bacallao ("Cha-Chá"), and resulted in a nomination for a Cubadisco Premio in 2019. He is the first foreigner to receive such an honor! 

As a performer, Michael co-leads one of the only remaining charanga groups in the United States, “Orquesta La Moderna Tradición”, and holds the conga drum chair in the internationally acclaimed (and 2011, 2014, and 2015 Grammy nominated) “Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet” which continues to record and perform throughout the United States. ​

selected performing credits