Jerry Blake (January 23, 1908 – December 31, 1961) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
alto saxophonist and clarinetist.
Early life
Blake was born "Jacinto Chabania" in
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...
and grew up in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
. He played violin before switching to reeds.
Career
In 1924, Blake toured with the
Sells Floto Circus
The Sells Floto Circus was a combination of the Floto Dog & Pony Show and the Sells Brothers Circus that toured with sideshow acts in the United States during the early 1900s.
History
Frederick Gilmer Bonfils and Harry Heye Tammen owned the first ...
, but was left stranded in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. He later joined
Al Wynn
Albert Russell Wynn (born September 10, 1951) is an American lobbyist and former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 4th district of Maryland from 1993 to 2008. On February 13, 2008, ...
's band, played with
Bobby Lee
Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on ''MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series ''Splitting Up Together'' alongside ...
and
Charlie Turner, and toured Europe in 1928 and 1929 as a member of
Sam Wooding
Samuel David Wooding (17 June 1895 – 1 August 1985) was an American jazz pianist, arranger and bandleader living and performing in Europe and the United States.
Career
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, between 1921 and 1 ...
's ensemble. In the 1930s, he played in the U.S. with
Chick Webb
William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader.
Early life
Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. ...
,
Zack Whyte
Zack Whyte (sometimes spelled Zach Whyte) (1898 – March 10, 1967) was an American jazz bandleader, best known for leading the territory band the Chocolate Beau Brummels.
Biography
Whyte was born in 1898 in Richmond, Kentucky. He studied at Wilbe ...
, and
Don Redman
Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, music arrangement, arranger, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Redman was born in Piedmont, West Virginia, Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, Un ...
(1933–34) before returning to Europe to play with
Willie Lewis
William T. Lewis ''(né'' Willie Meria Tawlton Lewis; 10 June 1905 – 13 January 1971) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader.
Career
Lewis was born Cleburne, Texas, United States. He grew up in Dallas and played in variety shows as ...
in 1934 and 1935. Once more in the United States, he spent time playing with
Claude Hopkins
Claude Driskett Hopkins (August 24, 1903 – February 19, 1984) was an American jazz stride pianist and bandleader.
Biography
Claude Hopkins was born in Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Historians differ in respect of the actual date of his ...
,
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musi ...
(1936–38), and
Cab Calloway
Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...
[ Gillespie, Dizzy (2009]
''To Be, Or Not... to Bop'', page 108. University of Minnesota Press
At Google Books. Retrieved 18 May 2013. (1938–42); he served as Calloway's musical director for part of that period.
In the early-1940s, Blake played with
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
,
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...
,
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...
, and Redman. Around 1943, Blake had a
mental breakdown
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
and was unable to play again for the rest of his life, most of which he spent in mental institutions. He never recorded as a leader.
References
Bibliography
*
Scott Yanow
Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref>
Biography
Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles.
Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...
,
Jerry Blake
Jerry Blake (January 23, 1908 – December 31, 1961) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist.
Early life
Blake was born "Jacinto Chabania" in Gary, Indiana and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He played violin before switching to ...
at
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
''Jazz Link Enterprises''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Jerry
1908 births
1961 deaths
American jazz clarinetists
American jazz saxophonists
American male saxophonists
Musicians from Gary, Indiana
20th-century American saxophonists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
The Cab Calloway Orchestra members