Michael Blake (musician)
Michael Blake (born May 19, 1964 in Montreal ) is a Canadian jazz musician ( tenor and soprano saxophone , composition ). It is best known for its sophisticated arrangements and its voluminous, elegant tone.
Live and act
Blake, who grew up in California and Vancouver , first learned the violin and piano before choosing the clarinet . In high school, he switched to the tenor saxophone. At college he first studied harmony . In 1984 he took part in the Jazz Workshop in Banff . He studied partially in New York, where he also worked for Chubby Checker and Jack McDuff . He first appeared internationally as a member of the Lounge Lizards , with whom he recorded various albums from 1991 to 2000 and was involved in a film. In this band he also got to know some of the musicians he used for his own projects, including Steven Bernstein , David Tronzo , Billy Martin and Tony Scherr .
Teo Macero produced his debut album Kingdom of Champa (1997), a sound journey through Vietnam . He was also active in the Jazz Composers Collective and participated in the Herbie Nichols Project . On his album Drift (2000) he brought the aesthetics of the New York jazz avant-garde with the achievements of modern jazz composition from Duke Ellington to Charles Mingus at the level of a big band ; Jazzthing's critics named it the “best CD” of 2000. His album The World Awakes (2007) with his Danish band Tartare was created as a tribute to Lucky Thompson . Currently (2019) Blake leads a trio with Tony Scherr (bass) and Allison Miller (drums).
With Tronzo, Scherr and Kenny Wollesen he founded the band Slow Poke , which transformed classic rock songs into a jazz context. He is also active as a member of the groups of Ben Allison and Frank Kimbrough . He has also performed with Medeski, Martin & Wood , Tricky , the Gil Evans Orchestra and Pinetop Perkins .
Lexigraphic entries
- Wolf Kampmann (Ed.), With the assistance of Ekkehard Jost : Reclams Jazzlexikon . Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-010528-5 .
Web links
- Works by and about Michael Blake in the catalog of the German National Library
- Michael Blake at Allmusic (English)
- Michael Blake's website with discography
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blake, Michael |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 19, 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Montreal |