For over three decades the saxophonist and composer Michael Blake has managed to stun both critics and audiences alike. His live performances are consistently exciting and unbridled (New York Jazz Record Best Performances 2014) and his recordings harness that energy into fully realized albums that resonate with personality. Known for his robust tone on tenor and pure soprano sound, Michael is frequently touted by critics as one the most original saxophonists of his generation. His latest CD Tiddy Boom (Sunnyside), a hard swinging homage to tenor titans Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young continues a legacy of rave reviews.
Born in Montreal, Canada and raised in Vancouver, Blake has made New York City his home for over 25 years where he makes music that bristles with originality and vision. As a composer his creative output is constantly in flux, shifting in approach and empathetic for each new program he designs. In 2013 Michael received Chamber Music America's New Jazz Works Grant for which he wrote the music for Tiddy Boom. Last year he was commissioned by the Vancouver organization Barking Sphinx to compose a suite commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Canada’s 1914 Kamagata Maru Tragedy. In early 2015 he received a funding from The Canada Council for the Arts to record this music for Songlines Records.
Michael has produced 12 CD's as a leader, each album highlighting his talents for arranging and conceiving new material. This year Blake's steadfast output continues with the release of the aforementioned masterpiece Tiddy Boom (Sunnyside Records). His 2012 release In the Grand Scheme of Things (Songlines Records) showcases Blake's Vancouver group the Variety Hour with mastermind keyboardist Chris Gestrin at the MOOG synthesizer. Michael's 2010 CD Hellbent is from a live performance and highlights the saxophonist's fearless improvising along side the ferocious drumming of Philly free- funkster Calvin Weston, trumpet maetro Steven Bernstein, and Tuba virtuoso Marcus Rojas. Delving further into unexplored territory is Control This (Clean Feed), an engaging free-jazz duo album with the tirelessly creative Danish drummer Kresten Osgood. His 1997 debut CD, Kingdom of Champa (Intuition) is often referred to as a masterpiece. Produced by the legendary Teo Macero, it is an empathetic musical travelogue of Vietnam featuring a brilliant cast of NY players. The follow-up album Drift (Intuition) was chosen by Jazzthing Magazine's Critics Pick as Best CD of 2000. Right Before Your Very Ears (Clean Feed) is an off-the-cuff improvised album for Trio featuring drummer Jeff Ballard. Elevated (Knitting Factory Works) would be a traditional quartet album but for Scott Harding's ingenious production. With a cunning and young rhythm section urging him on, his Copenhagen based group Blake Tartare produced both Blake Tartare and More Like Us (Stunt Records). Two subsequent albums include forays into new waters and highlight Blake's writing for percussion and strings: 2007's Amor de Cosmos (Songlines) and 2008's The World Awakes/A Tribute to Lucky Thompson (Stunt Records).
His tenure with John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards lasted from 1990-2000 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. During this period he was also a Composer in Residence in the Jazz Composers Collective, a nonprofit, musician-run organization dedicated to presenting original works. Another important group he co-lead was the instrumental rock band Slow Poke.
Michael is a respected teacher and has conducted workshops and classes in the US, Canada, Europe, Brazil and Asia. He is on faculty at the Fondazione Siena Jazz (2009-present) and teaches part time at New York University and The New School. Known for his warmth, patience, and enthusiasm Michael shares personal anecdotes, opinions, humor and more for all to read on his blog.
Among the many artists he has recorded and performed with are Ben Allison, Hamid Drake, Oliver Lake, Nicole Mitchell, Kenny Werner, Greg Osby, Eric Harland, Steve Cardenas, Matt Wilson, Frank Kimbrough, Ted Nash, Steven Bernstein, Ben Perowsky, George Colligan, Grachon Moncour III, Medeski Martin and Wood, Ray Lamontagne, Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani, Jeff Ballard, Larry Grenadier, Giovanni Guidi, Gianluca Patrella, Thomas Morgan, Gerald Cleaver, Mark Helias, Mario Pavone, Tommaso Cappellato, Bill Ware, Groove Collective, The Gil Evans Orchestra, Kamikaze Ground Crew, Jack McDuff, Kresten Osgood, Jacob Bro, Lonnie Smith, Ben E. King, Chubby Checker, Neil Sedaka, Dione, Natalie Cole, Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave and Pinetop Perkins. He has worked with such luminary producers as Teo Macero, Tricky, Prince Paul, Hal Wilner and Sir Coxsone Dodd.