Michael Spiro is an internationally recognized percussionist whose extensive knowledge of the history of Afro-Cuban music blends perfectly with his skillful and tasteful playing. After earning his Bachelor's Degree at the University of California, he began private studies with Francisco Aguabella, whom he still regards as his percussion guru. Spiro has also studied annually in Cuba since 1982 with musicians like Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintanta, Regino Jimenez, Juan "Claro" Blanco of La Orquesta Ritmo Oriental and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas.

Spiro's credits include a wide range of artists, from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Lazaro Ros, Bobby McFerrin, Richard Egues, and Bobby McFerrin to Giovanni Hidalgo , Eddie Palmieri, and Carlos Santana. He was a principal artist on several seminal videos of the 1990s including those by Giovanni Hidalgo, Ignacio Berroa, and most personally, the trio Talking Drums, which toured internationally for many years after the release of their books and video on Warner Bros. In 1996 he and Mark Lamson released their internationally acclaimed album BataKetu which continues to garner them world-wide recognition. He remains very active in the Bay Area music scene as both artist and record producer, and currently co-leads San Francisco’s only traditional conjunto-- “Conjunto Karabali” with fellow LP artist Karl Perazzo.

Spiro continues to publish books and DVDs on a regular basis—His book “The Conga Drummer’s Guidebook” was released in 2007 by Sher Publications, and his new DVD “Introduction to the Conga Drum” was released by the same company at the end of 2008. His pursuit of knowledge is a passion which he shares through his position as Visiting Professor of Music (Percussion) at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, as well as through the clinics he does around the world for LP. 

Equipment list: LP Congas, LP Bata Drums, LP Shekeres, LP Bar Chimes, LP Timbales, LP Everything Rack and LP Gajate-Bracket