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Michael Blake

About Me

New York City based saxophonist/composer/arranger.

Michael Blake is a versatile Canadian-American saxophonist and composer known for his three-decade career in jazz and improvised music. He rose to prominence playing with John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards in the 1990s and gained further recognition for his albums Kingdom of Champa (1997) and Slow Poke at Home (1998). Based in New York City, Blake moves seamlessly between various genres, forging his own path as a composer and arranger. He has played as a sideman with many artists including Steven Bernstein, Charlie Hunter and Ben Allison. Most recently he has been collaborating with the community focused NYC non-profit organization the Jazz Power Initiative. As a leader, Michael has recorded over 15 critically acclaimed concept albums for labels such as Songlines, Sunnyside and Newvelle. Showcasing his continuous innovation in contemporary jazz, his group Chroma Nova recorded the 2023 album Dance of the Mystic Bliss, which was selected as Album of the Month and #3 Best Jazz Album of 2023 in The Guardian. He continues to release new music on his family run label P&M Records.

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