Jazz Articles about Johnathan Blake

About Johnathan Blake

Album Review

The Kris Davis Trio: Lost In Geneva

Read "Lost In Geneva" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
September 19, 2026

Lost in Geneva begins in that spatial, metro-rush way a lot of pianist/composer/provocateur Kris Davis' excursions into the city do. But it soon skews into its own glacial swath, like many of Davis' excursions into the city. Ergo, “The Subtext," a fierce workout by any means or description and its successor, “Congestion Pricing," a study in immediate subversiveness. But Lost in Geneva (the first release on the pianist's new imprint, 4166 Records) is not all about immediacy or ...

Album Review

Alchemy Sound Project: Under the Surface

Read "Under the Surface" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
July 9, 2026

Formazione dall'identità mutevole, Alchemy Sound Project era già stata autrice di eccellenti lavori, tra i quali Further Explorations, uscito una decina di anni fa. Questa sua ultima fatica presenta tutta musica della pianista Sumi Tonooka, eseguita da un settetto o, in due brani, dal trio pianistico che ne costituisce il cuore. Ed è il trio ad aprire il lavoro, con il brano non casualmente intitolato “Point of Departure," dove la pianista è affiancata dal contrabbassista Gregg ...

Interview

Johnathan Blake: 'My Life Matters'—Genesis of a Small Masterpiece

by Marco Iacoboni
May 21, 2026

Johnathan Blake is among the most authoritative drummers on today's international jazz scene. His playing embodies the energy, sophistication and restless curiosity of contemporary New York jazz, shaped through collaborations with artists such as Kenny Barron, Bill Frisell, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Tom Harrell. At the helm of a quintet of remarkable depth and sensitivity, Blake combines technical command, compositional vision and collective interplay with striking naturalness. We met him during the European tour presenting My Life Matters ...

Album Review

Maria Schneider Orchestra: American Crow

Read "American Crow" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
March 24, 2026

Maria Schneider has a thing for birds. Credible sources have reported sightings of the jazz composer frequenting Central Park wearing a floppy hat, a pair of binoculars hanging from her neck. Her 20-plus minute “Cerulean Skies," from her album (one of her masterpieces) Sky Blue (ArtistShare, 2007) speaks to her love for birds; her fascination with their migratory nature and their arduous flights, which span continents and beyond. The composition “Bluebird," from the “Our Natural World"' half of her 2-disc ...

Album Review

Kenny Barron: Songbook

Read "Songbook" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
February 10, 2026

82 anni, magistrale protagonista del pianismo moderno, Kenny Barron raccoglie suoi vecchi e nuovi brani per affidarli all'interpretazione di cantanti. I testi sono della sua vecchia amica Janice Jarrett (eccetto “Minor Blues Redux" scritto da Catherine Russell & Paul Kahn) e gli interpreti vocali vedono nomi ben noti come Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell e Ann Hampton Callaway accanto agli emergenti Kavita Shah, Ekep Nkwelle e Tyreek McDole. Barron si ritaglia il ruolo di sensibile accompagnatore, intervenendo con ...

Radio & Podcasts

Favorite Jazz and Fusion Albums 2025 - Music from Artemis, Behn Gillece, Johnathan Blake, Hiromi, and Others

by David W. Daniels
January 6, 2026

A subjectively selected “Best 25 jazz and jazz fusion albums of 2025" list, with artists as diverse as Branford Marsalis, Phil Bancroft, Ella Fitzgerald, and Yellowjackets. Playlist Artemis “Sights Unseen"--from Arboresque (Blue Note) 00:00 Branford Marsalis Quartet “'Long As You Know You're Living Yours"--from Belonging (Blue Note) 7:21 Nnenna Freelon “Changed"--from Beneath The Skin (Origin) 16:04 Joe Farnsworth “Continuance"--from The Big Room (Smoke Sessions) 21:23 Carmen Bradford “Sometimes I'm Happy"--from Carmen Sings Carmen: Echoes Of Carmen McRae (Artist ...

Album Review

Kenny Barron: Songbook

Read "Songbook" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
November 26, 2025

Kenny Barron's offering Songbook is a deeply personal milestone in the pianist's career. Long regarded as one of the most lyrical voices in modern jazz, Barron fulfills a long-held dream by revisiting thirteen of his original compositions, now reimagined with words by lyricist Janice Jarrett and performed by a talented cast of vocalists spanning different generations. Joined by his longtime trio with bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake, Barron creates an album that effortlessly blends instrumental mastery with vocal ...