Results for "Michael Blake"

Michael Blake

An enduring presence for the last 30 years, saxophonist, composer and bandleader Michael Blake has built his reputation playing jazz and creative music in New York City. This visionary composer and arranger has produced a cornucopia of recordings that vary in context and mood. He has played tenor and soprano saxophone with a diverse range of artists including {{m: The Lounge Lizards = 8874}}, {{m: Charlie Hunter = 7830}}, {{m: Henry Butler = 5501}}, {{m: Steven Bernstein = 16405}} & the Hot 9 and Ray Lamontagne.

Michael was born on May 19th, 1964 in Montreal, Canada. In the late 60’s his family moved across the continent to California’s Bay Area where the indelible sounds of Psychedelic Rock, Funk and Soul would have a huge impact on his young ears

Jazz Composers Collective: The Herbie Nichols Project

By AAJ STAFF

From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared at All About Jazz in November 1999. The Herbie Nichols Project is a working, researching, and performing entity--co-led by pianist Frank Kimbrough and bassist Ben Allison. Operating within that fertile creative aggregate known as the Jazz Composers Collective (of which Mr. Kimbrough and Mr. Allison are ...

Frank Kimbrough: From Now to Forever - A Remembrance

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

On December 30, 2020, pianist Frank Kimbrough passed away at the age of 64. True to form, 2020 wreaked havoc until the end. The cause of death was not Covid-19, but the shock at the untimely loss of a revered artist was not any less powerful. Frank Kimbrough had the rare gift of touching ...

Frank Kimbrough - The Friends' Mixtape Part 2

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

To celebrate the late Frank Kimbrough, whose untimely passing on December 30, 2020 added another unnecessary layer of grief on a challenging year, we have reached out to some of his long time friends and collaborators asking them to share a track that in their hearts immediately conjured up memories of Frank. It could be one ...

[Long] Live (at) the Jazz Standard! - Part 1

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

A jazz club is not just a commercial enterprise, or an entertainment spot, it's a cultural hub, a place where ideas are exchanged, styles are tested and then defined, careers are inspired, collaborations get launched or cemented. When a venue like the Jazz Standard closes the loss should not be seen only in terms of a ...

Still Time to Quit

Label: Ropeadope
Released: 2020
Track listing: That's All You Get; Ready, Steady, Here You Go!; Shockingly Effective; Toasty; Valedictorian Driver; Happy Tired; The Nightmares; Bury Me In Times Square.

Marbles

By FALKNER EVANS

Label: Consolidated Artists Productions
Released: 2020
Track listing: Pina; Civilization; Sing Alone; Global News; Hidden Gem; This From That; Mbegu; Marbles; Dear West Village; Things Ain't What They Used To Be.

Falkner Evans: Marbles

By JEROME WILSON

Pianist Falkner Evans has been gradually expanding the size of his recording projects. He started out with a couple of trio discs, then made one with a quintet. On this latest offering, he fronts a three-horn sextet scored to sound like a bigger and fuller unit. He uses a front line of Michael Blake ...

Chris McCarthy: Still Time to Quit

By PAUL RAUCH

From 2017 to 2020, composer and pianist Chris McCarthy charted a path as a noted sideman for such notables as Jerry Bergonzi, Ben Allison and Jason Palmer. He was often seen performing with vibraphonist Sasha Berliner and in duet with vocalist Clotilde Rullaud. In short, he has gained a reputation for imaginative and supportive playing.

Spring 2020

By DOUG COLLETTE

Jazz Journal is a regular column comprised of pithy takes on recent jazz releases of note, spotlighting titles that might otherwise go unnoticed. Jaromír Honzák Hard To Understand Animal Music 2020 The airy warm tones of “Francoise Truffaut" constitute an apt commencement for Czech double bassist Jaromír Honzák ...