Brian Blade
"I remember when I first read the words hanging in a frame on my grandma Rosa's wall. The serenity prayer was something I couldn't understand until almost thirty years later, but now after experiencing some peaks and valleys of life, those words ring in my ears with clarity." Brian Blade has set those words to music for his first recording as a singer, guitarist and songwriter: Mama Rosa is a revealing journey through thirteen songs about family, loved ones, travels and a sense that these things that shape and inspire us have to be shared with others to complete a circle. He has been writing and recording material with words for as long as he's been making music. In fact, Mama Rosa grew naturally from the four-track home demos that he's recorded over the years and several of the original performances from those tapes can be heard on this album. Initially, Blade felt that these songs would never be heard by anyone else, but after encouragement from longtime friend Daniel Lanois, these home recordings became the cornerstones for the album. There is an initial spark close to the moment of inspiration and that intimate vibe is felt throughout Mama Rosa. "For some time now, these songs have existed in the solitude of my room, and I got a lot of joy and satisfaction from just knowing that they existed," Blade says. "But at a certain point I questioned whether it was fear or selfishness that kept me quiet. Facing the music and the mirror, I began to ask if this was the end of the process? What does God expect of me? Maybe someone else might find some inspiration in the songs." The lyrical themes of home, memories and loved ones, and how they shape who we are, are reflected in Blade naming the album after his grandmother. Rosa is the subject of the album's vivid opening track "After The Revival." Sung from the perspective of his mother Dorothy Blade, expecting the birth of her first son, Brian's older brother, Brady, Jr. "After the Revival" also alludes to Blade's early years at the Zion Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his father is pastor, and where Brian first started singing and playing the drums. The multi-talented young veteran is already widely respected in the jazz world as drummer/composer/leader of Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, with whom he has released three albums.
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- Mama Rosa by John Kelman
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"This is music that has heart, melody, and sophisticated and well-intentioned lyric poetry, and these songs are concerned with what it means to try and live alone and with others in the light each day..." ALL MUSIC GUIDE
Adrian Peek
drumsTommaso Cappellato
drumsGreg Diamond
guitar, electricRob Garcia
drumsFerenc Nemeth
drumsMartin Fabricius
vibraphonePhilip Hendrickson
drumsMichael Dalgas
drumsPepa Niebla
voice / vocalsNiebla
voice / vocalsArthur Vint
drumsDave Tull
drumsJonathan Whitney
drumsDaniel Villa Verde
guitar, acousticVincent Houdijk
vibraphoneMatilda Andersson
voice / vocalsNick Rousseau
guitarKathrine Windfeld
pianoIago Fernández
drumsClemens Kuratle
drumsJorge Fernandez
drumsGeorge Torrella
drumsErkan Sonmez
drumsArnaud Dolmen
drumsMichal Wierzgon
drumsJonas Linnemann
drumsMartin Fabricius Trio
band / orchestraAaron Dolman
drumsIan Michael Brown
pianoKEITO NAKANO
drumsKyle Poehling
drumsSimone Brilli
drumsJonathan Ruiz
bassScott Gordon
drumsMax Plattner
drumsDavid Bode
saxophoneNimbus Sextet
band / orchestraNick Zielinski
drumsJP Godbout
drumsKeisuke Kishi
drumsAsh Luo
drumsMarcello Cardillo
drumsAsa Nero
drumsJacques Bailhé
keyboardsAnastasios Gouliaris
drumsHarry Bartlett
guitarDarren Pickering
pianoJicho Jonisson
drumsThe Retrospective Quintet
band / orchestraOrian Rose
drumsPhotos
Concert Schedule
Album Discography
The End of Innocence
From: The Winds of ChangeBy Brian Blade
Little Scorpio
From: Pride and JoyBy Brian Blade
Daily Jubilee of Dancing Herbie D.
From: Finding LightBy Brian Blade
Song of A Solitary Crow
From: Between Two WorldsBy Brian Blade
When There Were Trains
From: Balancing ActBy Brian Blade