Jazz Articles about Seamus Blake

like

Seamus Blake Quartet: Live In Italy

by AAJ Italy Staff
August 10, 2009

Ecco un'altro bell'esempio di lungimiranza produttiva che viene da Palermo e dovrebbe far riflettere sulle tante eccellenze che operano nel nostro Sud. Il piccolo tour italiano di Seamus Blake del febbraio 2007 sarebbe passato inosservato se i nastri di quei concerti non avessere trovato la piccola etichetta palermitana Music Eyes che fa capo ai produttori Toni Cannistrato e Paul Siculiana e spazia tra jazz, rock ed altri generi. Il doppio album, che riprende oltre i concerti palermitani anche quellli dati ...

like 219

Seamus Blake: Live in Italy

by Terrell Kent Holmes
August 4, 2009

Seamus Blake displays impressive talent as a tenor saxophonist, composer and leader on Live in Italy, a double CD documenting his quartet's tour through various cities in 2007, where audiences were treated to an eclectic blend of dynamic originals and standards. Originals like “The Jupiter Line," “Way Out of Willy" and “Fear of Roaming" favor the bop genre. Blake's tone is clean, with uncluttered lines and robust phrases. The band works off the themes and branches out ...

like 214

Seamus Blake Quartet: Live in Italy

by Woodrow Wilkins
March 19, 2009

Born in London, England and reared in Vancouver, Canada, saxophonist Seamus Blake has established himself as both a leader and an effective sideman. He brings those leadership skills to the two-disc Live in Italy.Blake has gained recognition from Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines, and he finished first in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. His associations include Mark Turner, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Larry Grenadier and Victor Lewis. For his first live recording, he's accompanied by pianist ...

like 485

Seamus Blake Quartet: Live in Italy

by Warren Allen
March 14, 2009

Back in 2002, Seamus Blake established himself firmly as tenor player of interest with a first place finish in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. Since then, his rapidly growing discography, as well as collaborations with artists like John Scofield, suggests that the attention is well-deserved.

Even still, Blake's first live release represents a major step forward for the saxophonist. This two-disc set, culled from several shows in Italy, finds him cutting loose with a quartet ...

like 411

Seamus Blake: Way Out Willy

by John Kelman
May 8, 2007

It's been six years since Seamus Blake's last recording for Criss Cross, and the tenor saxophonist wasn't thinking about a new one until approached in 2006 by label owner/producer Gerry Teekens. The result, Way Out Willy, has the spontaneous feel of a session more focused on improvisation than composition.

That's not to say the six Blake originals are anything but thoroughly engaging. But in a time where his contemporaries are often approaching the modern mainstream through more complex compositional constructs, ...

like 226

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

by Alexander M. Stern
August 25, 2003

In a year that has already produced a number of excellent recordings, Mike Pope's The Lay of the Land may well be one of the best. It's certainly one of the most exciting new albums this reviewer has heard in a long time. Pope, who excels on both acoustic and electric bass, has surrounded himself with major label talent for this indie label release: both Randy and Michael Brecker make appearances, saxophonist Seamus Blake appears on two tracks; guitarist Mike ...

like 112

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

by Phil DiPietro
November 15, 2002

Mike Pope plays a mean piano. He's also a noted inventor, designing and building pre-amps for the boutique bass builders Fodera. But really he's a bassist; and not surprisingly, a skilled, er... pontif--icator on both electric and acoustic. He's also a fine mainstream jazz composer and has assembled an all-star cast of musicians here, including heavy hitters the Brecker Brothers, Mike Stern, Joe Locke, Jeff “Tain" Watts and his doubling double John Patitucci to assist in expressing his vision. Bloomdaddy ...