Alex Blake

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Alex Blake performing with Randy Weston and Billy Harper on the 2007 Jazz Standard

Alex Blake (actually Alejandro Blake ; born December 21, 1951 in Panama ) is an American jazz bassist.

Live and act

Blake grew up in Panama and first learned to trumpet. He had lessons in New York with Reggie Workman and Harry Constant; Richard Davis was the mentor . He first played in Afro-Cuban Latino bands such as Mongo Santamaría , Machito and Celia Cruz . Around 1969 he became a member of Sun Ra Arkestra, to be heard on its album My Brother The Wind, Vol II (as Alejandro Blake ). In 1971 he joined with Ra on the Berlin Jazz Festival and at the Donaueschingen Festival on (Black Myth / Out in Space) .

In the 1970s he took part in recordings by Billy Cobham , Carlos Garnett , Ryō Kawasaki , Yusef Lateef , Frank Lowe , Airto Moreira , Don Pullen , Sonny Rollins , Pharoah Sanders , Charles Sullivan , Kazumi Watanabe and Lenny White ; at the New York Jazz Loft Sessions in 1976 he played in the trio of Randy Weston . In the 1980s he worked as an accompanist for Manhattan Transfer , as well as with Jimmy Buffett , Joey DeFrancesco , Dizzy Gillespie , Earl Klugh , Carmen Lundy , Brownie McGhee , Charles "Bobo" Shaw and Janis Siegel . In the 1990s, productions followed. a. with Ahmed Abdullah , Greg Bandy , Malcolm Braff , Jonathan Butler , Chico Freeman , Phyllis Hyman , Carlos Ward and Dom Um Romão . In the 2000s he recorded with Babatunde Lea ( March of the Jazz Guerillas , 2000) and Kazumi Watanabe ( Village Bubbles , 2004).

In 1979 he had the first opportunity to publish an album (Especially for You) , which was only released in Japan by Denon; a teammate was Hiram Bullock . In 1999 a live recording was made at the Knitting Factory with Pharoah Sanders , Victor Jones , John Hicks and Neil Clark (percussion), which Blake released under his own name on Bubble Core Records under the title Now Is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory . In 2007 the album In Motion , u. a. with Chris Hunter and Victor Jones. In 2011 he performed at the Newport Jazz Festival ; In 2019 he plays in Jay Rodriguez's trio . Jay Rodriguez

Web links

Commons : Alex Blake  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sun Ra Discography ( Memento from April 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Christopher Porter (2000) in JazzTimes
  3. ^ Report in JazzTimes
personal data
SURNAME Blake, Alex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blake, Alejandro (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz bassist
DATE OF BIRTH December 21, 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Panama