ROUND AND ROUND: Kids' Songs for Mixed Ages
Mike Block and Barry Rothman
FOR YOUR
GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION
Best Children’s Music Album
Best Arrangement, Instruments And Vocals
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Rain Rain Go Away
ABOUT
LISTEN
Since becoming a father 3 years ago, I've become intimately aware of so many classic songs for children. The appeal of these songs span many countries and centuries, and there is a simple genius to the best of them. This album was a cathartic experience, reclaiming songs I’ve heard a million times by engaging with them creatively and exploring their limits. My hope is that kids can enjoy listening to these familiar songs in a new way, while also providing some extra interest for the parents in the room, as well. :) - Mike Block
ROUND AND ROUND. Revolve to evolve. It can be difficult to trace the true origins and meanings of some of these songs. No doubt they’ve been adapted and morphed through time and place, ending up in our collective consciousness to become an invaluable aid for learning and teaching. It has always been round and round since the very beginning of recorded kid’s music well over a century ago, starting with wax cylinders and 78rpm shellac disc evolving to vinyl 33rpm LPs and 45rpm singles to cassettes and compact discs. On this recording we continued the tradition by incorporating loops and phonographs to spin, twist and bend, creating something different right around the curve but never just going around in circles. - Barry Rothman
ABOUT MIKE BLOCK
Mike Block is a pioneering cello player, singer, composer, and educator, hailed by Yo- Yo Ma as the "ideal musician of the 21st-Century". Passionate about cross-cultural collaboration through music, Mike is committed to inspiring individuals and connecting communities. At home in a wide range of musical styles, through a multi-genre approach to composition, performance and education, he seeks to inspire audiences and empower musicians to find joy in the full world of music. Acclaimed by the NY Times for his "vital rich-hued solo playing", Block's solo performances offer a rich mixture of core classical repertoire with original compositions. Mike is member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble (SRE), having joined in 2005 while a student at The Juilliard School. Touring extensively throughout the world with SRE, he has been featured as cello and vocal soloist, contributed arrangements and compositions, and earned a Grammy Award in 2017 for their album, Sing Me Home. As an innovator, Mike is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap in order to stand and move while playing. With The Block Strap, Mike was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall. The NY Times characterized the performance as, "Breathless ... Half dance, half dare." As an educator, Mike is passionate about creativity and collaboration, and is the founding director of Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, and the Mike Block String Camp.