Alex Blake (born Alejandro Blake Fearon Jr.) is a jazz bass player.

Biography

Blake was born in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

and moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at the age of 7, growing up in

Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county i ...

. He began his career with Sun Ra in his band Arkestra. He became one of the major proponents of the fusion movement in the late 1970s with his writing and performances with

Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...

and Billy Cobham. A live performance compilation was released by Bubble Core Records in 2000 titled '' Now Is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory''. The album featured Blake's own quintet, which included

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

, Victor Jones,

John Hicks Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economic ...

and Neil Clarke (percussion). In addition to leading his own group, Blake also performs and records with

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

, as well as other musicians.

Discography

As leader

* ''Especially for You'' (Denon, 1979) * '' Now Is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory'' (Bubble Core, 2000)

As sideman

With Billy Cobham * '' Total Eclipse'' (Atlantic, 1974) * '' A Funky Thide of Sings'' (Atlantic, 1975) * '' Shabazz'' (Atlantic, 1975) With

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music. There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...

* ''

Bodies and Souls ''Bodies and Souls'' was released in September 1983 by The Manhattan Transfer on the Atlantic Records label. This album took the Manhattan Transfer in a different direction from their previous releases, offering a new, revised style of their mus ...

'' (Atlantic, 1983) * ''

Bop Doo-Wopp ''Bop Doo-Wopp'' is the eighth studio album by The Manhattan Transfer, released in 1984 on the Atlantic Records label. Six of the ten tracks on ''Bop Doo-Wopp'' are live performances. The album contains the song " Route 66" which originally app ...

'' (Atlantic, 1984) * '' Vocalese'' (Atlantic, 1985) * ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

'' (Atlantic, 1987) * ''

The Offbeat of Avenues ''The Offbeat Of Avenues'' was the thirteenth album released by The Manhattan Transfer on August 13, 1991 by Columbia Records. This album is the first of two albums for Columbia Records. This album is also the first Manhattan Transfer album whe ...

'' (Columbia, 1991) * ''

Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo ''Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo'' is the third live album released by The Manhattan Transfer. The title is a shortening of , the Japanese transliteration of the band's name. The songs were recorded during their 1983 Japan tour to promote their album '' ...

'' (Rhino, 1996) With

* '' Love Will Find a Way'' (Arista, 1978) * '' Beyond a Dream'' with

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

(Arista Novus, 1981) * ''

Save Our Children Save Our Children, Inc. was an American political coalition formed in 1977 in Miami, Florida, to overturn a recently legislated county ordinance that banned discrimination in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on sexua ...

'' (Verve, 1998) With Sun Ra * '' It's After the End of the World'' (MPS/BASF, 1971) * ''My Brother the Wind Vol II'' (El Saturn, 1971) * ''Newport Jazz Festival the Electric Circus'' (Transparency, 2009) * ''Live in London'' (Transparency, 2010) * ''Live at the Red Garter'' (Transparency, 2013) * ''In the Orbit of Ra'' (Strut/Art Yard, 2014) * ''The Intergalactic Thing'' (Roaratorio, 2016) With Kazumi Watanabe * ''Lonesome Cat'' (Denon, 1978) * ''Village in Bubbles'' (Better Days, 1978) * ''The Best Performance'' (Better Days, 1982) With

* ''African Sunrise'' (Antilles, 1992) * ''Saga'' (Verve/Gitanes, 1995) * '' Khepera'' (Verve, 1998) * ''

The Spirits of Our Ancestors ''The Spirits Of Our Ancestors'' is an album by pianist Randy Weston that was recorded in 1991 and issued on the Verve label. While all of the compositions (with the exception of one traditional Moroccan song) were composed by Weston himself, the ...

'' (Verve, 1992) * ''Spirit! The Power of Music'' (Gitanes, 2000) * ''Live in St. Lucia'' (Image, 2003) * ''Zep Tepi'' (Random Chance, 2006) * ''The Storyteller'' (Motema, 2010) With others *

Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah (born Leroy Bland; May 10, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter who was a prominent member of Sun Ra's band. Biography He began playing the trumpet at age 13 in his native New York City. One of the first groups he performed with wa ...

, ''

Dedication Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church, or other sacred building. Feast of Dedication The Feast of Dedication, today Hanukkah, once also called "Feast of the Maccabees," is a Jewish festival observed for eight days fr ...

'' (CIMP, 1998) * Ahmed Abdullah, ''

Tara's Song ''Tara's Song'' is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah. It was recorded on May 10, 2004, at Loho Studios in New York City, and was released in 2005 by TUM Records. On the album, Abdullah is joined by members of his band Ebonic Tones: saxophonist A ...

'' (TUM, 2005) *

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...

, ''

Hot Water Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated t ...

'' (MCA, 1988) * Jonathan Butler, ''Head to Head'' (Mercury, 1993) * Chico Freeman, ''Sweet Explosion'' (In+Out 1990) *

Carlos Garnett Carlos Garnett (born December 1, 1938) is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist. Biography Garnett was born on December 1, 1938, in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. He was interested in jazz after hearing the music of Louis Jordan and James Mood ...

, ''

Black Love Black is a color which results from the absence or complete Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption of visible spectrum, visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or fi ...

'' (Muse, 1974) *

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

, ''The Final Concert Recording'' (Eagle, 2000) * Mac Gollehon, ''Smokin' Live'' (McKenzie, 1997) * Mac Gollehon, ''La Fama'' (American Showplace, 2012) * Weldon Irvine, ''Time Capsule'' (Nodlew Music, 1973) * Weldon Irvine, ''In Harmony'' (Strata-East, 1974) *

Oran "Juice" Jones Oran "Juice" Jones (born March 28, 1957) is an American retired R&B singer. Biography Early life Jones was born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Harlem, New York City, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981, servi ...

, '' Player's Call'' (Tommy Boy, 1997) * Ryo Kawasaki, ''Ring Toss'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977) * Ryo Kawasaki, ''Nature's Revenge'' (MPS, 1978) * Earl Klugh, ''

Whispers and Promises ''Whispers and Promises'' is an instrumental-pop studio album by Earl Klugh released in 1989. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990. In this release, Klugh delivers his well- ...

'' (Warner Bros., 1989) * The Last Poets, ''Delights of the Garden'' (Douglas, 1977) *

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

, ''

Autophysiopsychic ''Autophysiopsychic'' is an album by American multi-instrumentalist and composer Yusef Lateef recorded in 1977 and released on the CTI label.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 27, 2012 The record was recorded in October 1977 at Ele ...

'' (CTI, 1977) * Babatunde Lea, ''March of the Jazz Guerrillas'' (Ubiquity, 2000) *

Frank Lowe Frank Lowe (June 24, 1943 – September 19, 2003) was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer. Biography Born and brought up in Memphis, Tennessee, Lowe took up the tenor saxophone at the age of 12. As an adult he moved to San Fra ...

, ''

The Flam ''The Flam'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Frank Lowe recorded in 1975 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (Black Saint, 1976) * Carmen Lundy, ''Night and Day'' (CBS/Sony, 1987) * Arif Mardin, '' Journey'' (Atlantic, 1974) * Brownie McGhee, ''Blues Is Truth'' (Blue Labor, 1976) * Brownie McGhee, ''Rainy Day'' (Tomato, 1989) *

Airto Moreira Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a member of the ...

, ''

Virgin Land A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...

'' (Salvation, 1974) * Don Pullen, ''

Capricorn Rising ''Capricorn Rising'' is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen featuring saxophonist Sam Rivers recorded in 1975 for the Italian Black Saint label.

'' (Black Saint, 1976) * Don Pullen, ''

Tomorrow's Promises ''Tomorrow's Promises'' is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1976 and 1977 and released on the Atlantic label.Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

, '' The Way I Feel'' (Milestone, 1976) *

Dom Um Romao Dom or DOM may refer to: People and fictional characters * Dom (given name), including fictional characters * Dom (surname) * Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto * Dom people, an ethn ...

, ''Saudades'' (Water Lily Acoustics, 1993) *

Charles "Bobo" Shaw Charles Wesley "Bobo" Shaw (September 5, 1947 – January 16, 2017) was an American free jazz drummer, known as a prominent member of the Human Arts Ensemble and Black Artists Group. He was born in Pope, Mississippi, United States. Charles "Bob ...

, ''Concere Ntasiah'' (Universal Justice 1978) *

Janis Siegel Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is an American jazz singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. Musical career In 1965, Siegel made her recording debut with a group called Young Generation on Red Bird Records. Af ...

, ''At Home'' (Atlantic, 1987) * Charles Sullivan, ''

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

'' (Strata-East, 1974) *

Ximo Tebar Ximo Tebar (March 30, 1963 in Valencia) is a Spanish jazz musician (guitar, composition). Life and works Tebar started taking guitar lessons at the age of seven. His first music genre was flamenco. At the age of 15, he was attracted to Brazilia ...

, ''Steps'' (Omix, 2008) *

, ''Presents the Adventures of Astral Pirates'' (Elektra, 1978)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Alex Living people American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Post-bop double-bassists 1951 births Panamanian emigrants to the United States 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians