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Saxophonist Ron Blake Announces The Release Of 3 New Videos Starting With "No Hype Blues," Premiering September 7 In Honor Of Sonny Rollins
![Saxophonist Ron Blake Announces The Release Of 3 New Videos Starting With "No Hype Blues," Premiering September 7 In Honor Of Sonny Rollins](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/a_large/38b576bc0539e31d428826db23ba0665.jpg "Saxophonist Ron Blake Announces The Release Of 3 New Videos Starting With "No Hype Blues," Premiering September 7 In Honor Of Sonny Rollins")
Courtesy Thorsten Roth
I would like to thank you, Sonny Rollins, on behalf of the Virgin Islands community, for embracing the music of our culture as a part of your incredible musical journey, and for leaving such an indelible mark on the world stage.
—Ron Blake
“No Hype Blues,” the first in a series of three new videos by the Ron Blake Quartet, will premiere on September 7. The videos were recorded at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago on November 24, 2024, with guitarist Bobby Broom, bassist Dennis Carroll, and drummer Kobie Watkins. Blake chose September 7 as the release date for the first video to commemorate the life work of Sonny Rollins, whose birthday is September 7. (Blake shares Rollins’s birthday as well as his Virgin Islands heritage.)
“Sonny Rollins’s creative output over the course of more than six decades was a true testament to his conviction to achieve the highest level of mastery in jazz improvisation, composition, and saxophone excellence,” says Blake. “His style and commitment to excellence defined the music we know as jazz today and, in addition, pushed the limits of possibilities over the trajectory of his career, never settling on his past accomplishments. In this regard, he has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to me.
“I would like to thank you, Sonny Rollins,” he adds, “on behalf of the Virgin Islands community, for embracing the music of our culture as a part of your incredible musical journey, and for leaving such an indelible mark on the world stage.”
Versions of the three songs heard on the new videos are also included in Blake’s 2023 album Mistaken Identity (7tēn33 Productions). “No Hype Blues,” a Bobby Broom composition, was one of the first songs Blake played with the guitarist in their 30-year association.
Coming on October 16 is the Blake Quartet’s rendering of the late Johnny Griffin’s beautiful minor-key ballad “When We Were One.” “This became one of my features with the Roy Hargrove Quintet after Griff recorded it on The Tenors of Our Time,” says Blake, noting that October 16 is also Hargrove’s birthday.
Finally, following on November 16 is the Quartet’s take on Duke Pearson’s “Is That So?,” which recalls the golden Blue Note era.
“Sonny Rollins’s creative output over the course of more than six decades was a true testament to his conviction to achieve the highest level of mastery in jazz improvisation, composition, and saxophone excellence,” says Blake. “His style and commitment to excellence defined the music we know as jazz today and, in addition, pushed the limits of possibilities over the trajectory of his career, never settling on his past accomplishments. In this regard, he has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to me.
“I would like to thank you, Sonny Rollins,” he adds, “on behalf of the Virgin Islands community, for embracing the music of our culture as a part of your incredible musical journey, and for leaving such an indelible mark on the world stage.”
Versions of the three songs heard on the new videos are also included in Blake’s 2023 album Mistaken Identity (7tēn33 Productions). “No Hype Blues,” a Bobby Broom composition, was one of the first songs Blake played with the guitarist in their 30-year association.
Coming on October 16 is the Blake Quartet’s rendering of the late Johnny Griffin’s beautiful minor-key ballad “When We Were One.” “This became one of my features with the Roy Hargrove Quintet after Griff recorded it on The Tenors of Our Time,” says Blake, noting that October 16 is also Hargrove’s birthday.
Finally, following on November 16 is the Quartet’s take on Duke Pearson’s “Is That So?,” which recalls the golden Blue Note era.
Ron Blake’s upcoming dates include
- 9/12 Georgia on My Mind: Celebrating the Music of Ray Charles, Lone Tree (CO) Arts Center, 7:30pm
- 9/19 Dion Parson 21st Century Band, West Orange (NJ) Jazz Festival, 7pm
- 9/23 John Coltrane Centennial Celebration curated by Geoffrey Keezer (John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman Album featuring Jose James), Dizzy’s Club, NYC, 7 & 9pm
- 9/24 John Coltrane Centennial Celebration curated by Geoffrey Keezer (Expressions of Infinity), Dizzy’s Club, NYC, 7 & 9pm
- 9/26 Saturday Night Live Season 52 Premiere, NBC, 11:30pm ET
- 9/27 Gregory Hutchinson Kind of Now: The Pulse of Miles Davis, Tim Jackson Stage, Monterey (CA) Jazz Festival, 2:45pm PT
- 10/5 Ted Nash Big Band, Dizzy’s Club, NYC, 7 & 9pm
- 10/23-25 Rufus Reid Big Band, The Pocket, NYC, 7 & 9pm
- 10/28-30, 11/1 Gregory Hutchinson Kind of Now, Dizzy’s Club, NYC, 7 & 9pm
For more information contact Terri Hinte Publicity.
