MICHAEL MCCLINTOCK'S BIOGRAPHY

Multi-Instrumentalist • Composer • Music Instructor • Author

Michael McClintock is a world-acclaimed musician and teacher, celebrated for his genre-defying artistry and for guiding students worldwide. A master of the guitar and Cuban Tres, his work blends Jazz, Flamenco, Brazilian, Cuban, and Classical styles into a voice uniquely his own.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory in 2006, where he studied with Douglas Niedt. He later pursued advanced studies in Jazz, Flamenco, Brazilian, and Cuban music, developing particular expertise on the Cuban Tres under Dr. Efraín Amador and César Hechavarria.

Michael began teaching in 2006, sharing his knowledge with students of all levels. In 2014, he launched his YouTube channel, which has since become a leading resource for world and Latin guitar, reaching thousands of students worldwide. His teaching has expanded through private lessons, workshops, Patreon resources, and his published guitar method book.

Musical Projects

• • 2007 — Co-founded Alma Flamenca, an ensemble dedicated to Spanish flamenco traditions.

  • 2010 — Formed Mistura Fina, a Brazilian jazz group central to Kansas City’s music scene.

  • 2012 — Co-founded Broken String, blending North American jazz, flamenco, and Brazilian rhythms.

  • 2013 — Began traveling to Cuba, deepening his connection to Cuban music and gaining recognition as a leading Tresero.

  • 2013–present — Core member of Ensemble Iberica, performing music from Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, and collaborating with Grammy winner Mireya Ramos and the legendary Texmaniacs. Here, Michael also began introducing the Cuban Tres into diverse international music styles, earning strong recognition in Cuba for his innovative approach to the instrument and his distinctive style of playing it.

  • 2016–present — Founding member of Slim Hanson and the Poor Choices, contributing to their 2023 album Sin Fronteras, which featured Grammy-winning artists and was considered for Grammy nomination.

  • 2016–present — Founded Cubanisms with his wife, Dálida T. Pupo Barrios, a project that has earned international acclaim for its bold fusion of Cuban, Brazilian, and jazz traditions.

Cubanisms has been Michael’s main artistic project, allowing him to grow as a director, arranger, and composer. Together with his wife, Dálida T. Pupo Barrios, he founded the ensemble as a platform to explore Cuban music in new ways while blending it with jazz and Brazilian influences.

The group has released two albums — Acento Cubano (2017) and Trilingual (2019) — both of which received excellent reviews in the U.S., Colombia, and Cuba. These works not only showcased Michael’s skills as a bandleader and arranger but also opened new doors for the ensemble in Cuba, where he was already recognized and acclaimed as a Tresero. With Cubanisms, he has presented a fresh proposal that combines tradition with innovation, earning international acclaim.

Michael was nominated “Best Musician – Kansas City” by The Pitch in 2018 and 2019, and his ensemble Cubanisms received nominations for “Best Local Band.”

In 2023, Michael relocated to Paris, France, expanding his international career. In 2025, he released his first solo album of original compositions and published his debut method book for guitar and music theory students.

2025: A Year of Growth:  This has been a major milestone in Michael’s career, both creatively and as an educator.

His latest release, Here and There (2025), is his first full-length album of all-original compositions — an intimate and expansive musical voyage shaped by his life and work across the United States, Cuba, and France. Composed and recorded in all three countries, the 12-track album blends Classical, Jazz, Brazilian, and Cuban traditions into a singular artistic voice. Performing every part himself on steel-string, nylon-string, electric guitar, and Cuban Tres, Michael delivers a work of melodic clarity and harmonic depth. Here and There is not only a showcase of his versatility, but also a heartfelt expression of his musical identity — rooted in tradition and shaped by global experience.

In the same year, Michael published his first method book, Master the Guitar Fretboard and Essential Music Theory in Just 10 Weeks. Built on two decades of teaching, the book provides students with a simple yet powerful system for learning the guitar neck, improvising with confidence, and applying music theory directly to the instrument. With clear explanations, over 50 examples, and practical exercises, it reflects the successful methods he has honed through private lessons, workshops, YouTube, and Patreon.

Together, the album and the book represent a powerful statement of Michael’s dual identity as both an artist and an educator — creating original music while also guiding the next generation of guitarists.