Michael BLAKE:
Slow Poke at Home and Amor de Cosmos
"Panoramic imagination"
The New York times
Blake Tartare (2005)
“With every album under his own name, saxophonist Michael Blake has artfully carved out a creative space for his music. The tendency continues on his latest albums [...].”.
Downbeat
Tenor and soprano saxophonist Michael Blake has established his presence in the jazz world, while his work gracefully erases the borders between different areas of music. In 2009 he released a duo album with Danish drummer Kresten Osgood entitled Control This. This recording – mostly improvised tracks – marks his debut on alto saxophone. Michael’s recent CD's Amor de Cosmos (Songlines), starring an all-Canadian cast of west coast talent and The World Awakes/A Tribute to Lucky Thompson (Stunt Records), featuring his Danish band Blake Tartare, portray a diverse and original artist. Blake Tartare has been performing and touring internationally since 2002 and have two other albums out: Blake Tartare and More Like Us (Stunt Records).
His previous releases show that he is a restless and creative visionary: Right Before Your Very Ears (Clean Feed) is an off-the-cuff improvised album for Trio. Elevated (Knitting Factory Records) is a traditional quartet album. His critically acclaimed debut CD Kingdom of Champa (Intuition) was released in 1997. Produced by the legendary Teo Macero, it is an empathetic musical travelogue of Vietnam featuring a brilliant cast of NY players. His followup album Drift (Intuition) was chosen by Jazzthing Magazine’s Critics Pick as Best CD of 2000.
For over two decades the New York City resident has presented an array of innovative bands and compositions that display his ability to simultaneously embrace jazz history while challenging it. That, along with a natural and relaxed approach to improvisation, is the reason he received a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation’s New Works for Jazz Program.
He has also received various grants from The Canada Council for the Arts for studies, composition and touring. His tenure with John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards spans over a decade and includes numerous record dates, TV appearances, a live concert film from Berlin, and film soundtracks such as the Grammy nominated score for Get Shorty. Throughout the 1990’s he was a Composer in Residence in the Jazz Composers Collective, a nonprofit, musician-run organization dedicated to presenting original works. Michael is currently touring and performing with Hellbent, Blake Tartare and a new trio he co-leads with bassist Ben Allison and drummer Hamid Drake.
Among the many artists he has recorded and performed with are Ben Allison, Oliver Lake, Grachon Moncour III, Medeski Martin and Wood, Ray LaMontagne, Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani, Larry Grenadier, The Gil Evans Orchestra, Ben E. King, Neil Sedaka, Tricky, Prince Paul, Natalie Cole, The Groove Collective, Jack McDuff, Steven Bernstein, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Hal Wilner, Sir Coxsone Dodd and Pinetop Perkins.
PROJECTS
MICHAEL BLAKE - BEN ALLISON - HAMID DRAKE trio
Three extraordinary instrumentalists, composers, band leaders for the first time on the European scene after the Stone in NY. It is difficult to imagine to what extent the art of these three masters of jazz can be pushed. American tradition.
Music is an alchemy of fortunate encounters, like this one, rare and preciuous,in which the esperanto of the music allows enchanting promiscuities: new sounds, downtown, drum’n’bass, avant-jazz, the fascination and suggestion of the best Afro-American tradition.
BLAKE HELLBENT BAND
Michael Blake - Tenor & soprano saxophones;
Marcus Rojas - Tuba;
Charlie Burnham - Violino;
Calvin Weston – Drums.
PCS by R.Masotti
“They’re hell bent on having fun and creating music that speaks to the heart and soul as well as to the body and mind.”
All About Jazz
BLAKE TARTARE
Michael Blake - Tenor & soprano sax;
Soren Kjaergaard - Fender rhodes, piano;
Jonas Westergaard - Bass;
Kresten Osgood Drums.
Michael Blake founded Blake Tartare in 2002 at a time where both Kresten Osgood, Søren Kjærgaard and Jonas Westergaard were living in New York. Since then its been 2, soon 3, albums for Stunt records and the band has toured a lot, especially in Italy. The music is often composed by Michael Blake, but there have been covers by such diverse artists as Lucky Thompson, Ellington and Crowded House.
TOMMASO CAPPELLATO feat. MICHAEL BLAKE
Michael Blake - Tenor & soprano saxophones;
Giovanni Guidi – Piano;
Joe Rehmer – Double bass;
Tommaso Cappellato – Drums.
After spending 9 years in New York working with some of the finest artists in jazz, hip hop and world music, drummer and composer Tommaso Cappellato moved back to Europe to work on his own projects. His latest work includes three of the most visionary musicians of the new generation: the new-york-based saxophonist Michael Blake, Italian rising star of piano Giovanni Guidi and Chicagoan up and coming bass talent Joe Rehmer. Each member of this quartet is already a leader of one's own project with precise aesthetics which leave no doubts on the musical direction.
Michael BLAKE - KRESTEN OSGOOD DUO
Michael Blake Tenor & soprano saxophones;
Kristen Osgood Drums.
 "Control This!" Michael duets with drummer Kresten Osgood.
Released by Clean Feed Records in March '09.
New York-based saxophonist Michael Blake and Danish drummer Kresten Osgood are two such explorers.
Longstanding collaborators, they served as sidemen to organist Lonnie Smith and toured in Blake's freewheeling Blake Tartare ensemble.
Over the years they have developed a deep-seated rapport, lending the congenial free improvisations featured on Control This (their first recording as a duo) an implied sense of structure often lacking in similar efforts……(AAJ)
Read more:
- www.allaboutjazz.com/
- freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/
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