Michael Blake (born May 19, 1964) is a Canadian-born American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Over the course of his career he formed the bands Blake Tartare, Hellbent, Mr Carefree, Elevated Quartet, The Eulipion Orchestra, The Variety Hour, Red Hook Soul, Blake & Brass XL, Chroma Nova and co-lead the groups Made in China and Slow Poke. As a sideman Michael has performed with

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

The Lounge Lizards The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase f ...

Henry Butler Henry Butler (September 21, 1948 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz and blues pianist. He learned piano, drums, and saxophone in school. He received a college degree and graduate degree and taught at the New Orleans Center for Creative ...

and the Hot 9,

Ben Allison Ben Allison (born November 17, 1966) is an American double bassist, composer, producer, bandleader, educator. In addition to his work as a performer, he co-founded the non-profit Jazz Composers Collective and served as its Artistic Director for ...

, Nicole Mitchell,

Hamid Drake Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and Afr ...

Oliver Lake Oliver Lake (born September 14, 1942) is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet, and visual artist. He is known mainly for alto saxophone, but he also performs on soprano and flute. During the 1960s, Lake worked with the Black ...

Big Band, Dafnis Prieto Big Band,

Ricki Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A two ...

and

Ray LaMontagne Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', '' God Willin' & the Creek Don ...

Early life

Michael Blake was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Canada. His mother Merle Stevens was a professional dancer in Montreal when she met his father Francis Patrick Blake. Michael's father moved the family to Vancouver and Toronto before taking a Public Relations job with the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...

. In 1973, after his parents divorced, they resettled in Vancouver, Canada, where Michael briefly took lessons on violin and piano. At the age of 14, around the same time his older brother started playing alto saxophone, he picked up the

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

. Michael started on the tenor

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

in High School after reading the biography Chasin' the Trane about saxophonist

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

. From 1982 to 1984 Blake attended the

Vancouver Community College Vancouver Community College is a public community college in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is the largest and oldest community college in British Columbia, offering 91 certificate programs, 31 diploma programs, and 3 bac ...

Jazz and Commercial Music Program where he studied saxophone and clarinet with David Branter. After finishing the program, Blake studied privately with saxophonist

Patric Caird Patric Caird is a Canadian film and television composer and musician. Biography Patric Caird has been working as a composer for film and television since the early 1990s. In that time he has written more than 400 film and television scores which h ...

. From 1984 to 1985 he attended summer jazz workshops at The Banff Center for Arts and Creativity, studying saxophone with

Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing al ...

and

David Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a N ...

. Michael began his professional career in Vancouver, performing with local jazz musicians Hugh Fraser,

Phil Dwyer Philip John Dwyer (28 October 1953 – 30 November 2021) was a Welsh professional Association football, footballer. Born in Cardiff, he began his career with his hometown club Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City, joining the side as an apprentice ...

John Korsrud John Korsrud (born 1963) is a Canadian composer and jazz trumpeter. Life John Korsrud was born in 1963. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1990. Korsrud studied composition with Louis Andriessen at the Conservatorium van Am ...

, Jim Chivers and Kate Hammett-Vaughan. He also worked with west coast R&B acts, The

Powder Blues Band The Powder Blues Band is a Canadian blues/pop/jazz band formed in 1978 in Vancouver. Its first album ''Uncut'' went double platinum in Canada. The second album ''Thirsty Ears'' was similarly popular. Their best known songs include: "Boppin' with ...

and Rocket Norton. In 1986 Michael received a grant from the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the fede ...

for the Arts to live in New York City where he would study saxophone and theory with David Liebman.

Career

1990s

In the fall of 1989 Blake started working with

John Lurie John Lurie (born December 14, 1952) is an American musician, painter, actor, director, and producer. He co-founded the Lounge Lizards jazz ensemble; has acted in 19 films, including ''Stranger than Paradise'' and '' Down by Law''; has composed ...

and

, and for that band he began playing soprano saxophone. Michael toured, recorded, and performed with the band until 1999. He appeared on the albums ''Live in Berlin Vol 1 & 2'' and ''Queen of All Ears'' and is featured in the Lounge Lizards concert film, '' John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards Live in Berlin 1991''. Blake also played saxophone and clarinet on Lurie's TV series '' Fishing with John'' and film scores for ''

Get Shorty ''Get Shorty'' is a 1990 novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name, and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name. Plot summary The story centers on Ernesto ...

'' and '' Excess Baggage''. As well as his affiliation with The Lounge Lizards, Michael worked as a sideman in the 1990s with

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era ...

, Charlie Persip,

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role ...

Orchestra, and singer Henry Fiol. He became a composer in residence for the Jazz Composers Collective in 1995 and joined the Herbie Nichols Project, a repertoire ensemble devoted to the music of pianist/composer

Herbie Nichols Herbert Horatio Nichols (January 3, 1919 – April 12, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard " Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics. Lif ...

. In 1996 Michael signed with Intuition Music and released two albums. His debut album ''Kingdom of Champa'' (1997), a concept album about Vietnam, was engineered by Scott Harding and produced by

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' '' Bitches Brew'', and ...

. He reassembled the team of Macero and Harding to produce and mix his second release ''Drift''. In 1997 Blake formed a band with

David Tronzo David Tronzo (born 1957) is an American guitarist, best known for his innovation of pairing the techniques of electric slide guitar with the genres of bebop, modern jazz, rock, downtown music, and experimental music. He has recorded with former D ...

Tony Scherr Tony Scherr is an American jazz and folk rock bassist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Biography Scherr was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a graduate of the Hammonasset School. He played with Woody Herman as a teenag ...

and

Kenny Wollesen Kenny Wollesen (born 1966) is an American drummer and percussionist. Wollesen has recorded and toured with Tom Waits, Sean Lennon, Ron Sexsmith, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, John Lurie, Myra Melford, Steven Bernstein, and John Zorn. He is a foun ...

called Slow Poke. Between 1997 and 2001 Slow Poke recorded ''Slow Poke at Home'' and ''Redemption'' , toured in Canada and Europe. ''Slow Poke at Home'' was re-released in 2005 on Palmetto Records with two additional bonus tracks.

2000s

Blake recorded and released ''Elevated'' in 2002 on Knitting Factory Records. For their 2001–2002 season

Sundance TV Sundance TV (formerly known as Sundance Channel) is an American pay television channel owned by AMC Networks that launched on February 1, 1996. The channel is named after Robert Redford's character in ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and, w ...

hired Blake to write the theme for their TV series ''Conversations in World Cinema'' for which he rerecorded several themes from ''Elevated''. In 2002 Michael recorded ''Blake Tartare'' with Danish musicians Kresten Osgood, Soren Kjaergaard, and Jonas Westergaard. The following year he signed with the Danish jazz label Stunt Music to record ''More Like Us'' featuring singer/songwriter Maria Laurette-Friss and ''The World Awakes'' (2008), a tribute to saxophonist Eli 'Lucky' Thompson. Under Kresten Osgood's leadership, Blake toured Denmark in 2002 and recorded a live album, ''Hammond Rens'' featuring organist Lonnie Smith. Blake and Osgood reunited in New York City in 2008 to record ''Control This'' for Clean Feed Records. This was the only album on which he plays alto saxophone. In 2003 the Canadian composer and bandleader

commissioned Michael to compose new works for his Hard Rubber Orchestra. Blake subsequently presented his own big band called The Eulipion Orchestra during his artist-in-residence at the

Jazz Standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...

in NYC. The orchestra featured NYC musicians described by NY Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff as, "from all over the map". After winning the ear of the Portuguese avant-garde label Clean Feed Records Michael recorded ''Right Before Your Very Ears'' in 2005. His first trio album with bassist

and drummer Jeff Ballard is a balancing act of both

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

and original compositions. Blake played soprano saxophone for the theme to ''

The Backyardigans ''The Backyardigans'' is a computer-animated musical children's television series created by Janice Burgess. The series was written and recorded at Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It centers on five animal neighbors who imagine themselves on fantas ...

'', a children's TV program produced by

Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...

with music by

Evan Lurie Evan is both an English and Welsh male given name derived from "Iefan", a Welsh form for the name John. In other languages it could be compared to " Ivan", " Ian", and " Juan"; the name John itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Yəhô� ...

and Doug Wieselman. From 2004 to 2010 he performed with members of The Lounge Lizards on many ''Backyardigans'' episodes and composed the underscore for six episodes. Michael assembled the band Hellbent in 2006 with Calvin G Weston, Steven Bernstein, and

Marcus Rojas Marcus Rojas (born February 23, 1963) is an American Tuba, tubist from New York City. Early life Rojas was born in New York City on February 23, 1963, and grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn. His early influences included Eddie Palmieri, Willie Coló ...

. Violinist Charlie Burnham also performed with the group. Blake released the live album ''Hellbent'' in 2007. From 2007 to 2016 Michael began recording a trilogy of Canadian-themed concept albums for the Vancouver-based label Songlines. Collaborating with a new generation of musicians including Brad Turner, Chris Gestrin, Dylan van der Schyff and JP Carter. His first album ''Amor de Cosmos'' was dedicated to his grandfather, who died at the age of 101. 2012's ''In the Grand Scheme of Things'' makes reference to several of the saxophonists personal experiences, including the birth of his daughter Iris and his brothers wedding in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. ''Fulfillment'' is about the ill-fated

Komagata Maru incident The ''Komagata Maru'' incident involved the Japanese steamship ''Komagata Maru'', on which a group of people from British India attempted to immigrate to Canada in April 1914, but most were denied entry and forced to return to Budge Budge, ...

in which Blake's great-granduncle

Henry Herbert Stevens Henry Herbert Stevens, (December 8, 1878 – June 14, 1973) was a Canadian politician and businessman. A member of R. B. Bennett's cabinet, he split with the Conservative Prime Minister to found the Reconstruction Party of Canada. Early ...

played a role. Created as a work of atonement, the album includes guest performances by the Vancouver born tabla player Neelamjit Dhilon and guitarist

Aram Bajakian Aram Bajakian (born 1977) is an American guitarist of Armenian descent who has recorded and toured with John Zorn, Lou Reed, Diana Krall, and with Madeleine Peyroux in 2018.Perlmutter, AAram Bajakian: Navigating New Territory ''Premier Guitar ...

. Blake served as musical director for the

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

'50 Years of Hits' Celebration at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall on October 26, 2007. The event was a fundraiser for the

Elton John AIDS Foundation The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by rock musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care a ...

. Michael performed on saxophone and conducted the house band, backing up Sedaka and other artists who had hits by Sedaka including

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

, The Captain and Tennille and

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

. During the summer of 2008 Michael joined the band of Italian trumpeter

Enrico Rava Enrico Rava (born 20 August 1939), is an Italian jazz trumpeter. He started on trombone, then changed to the trumpet after hearing Miles Davis. Career He was born in Trieste, Italy. His first commercial work was as a member of Gato Barbieri's ...

on his promotional tour for ''New York Stories'' (

ECM Records ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...

). He was a last minute replacement for saxophonist Mark Turner after he suffered a hand injury. In 2009, The Michael Blake Quartet, including bassist Ben Allison, guitarist

Steve Cardenas Stephen Antonio Cardenas (born May 29, 1974) is an American martial artist, musician, and actor. Cardenas is best known for playing the character Rocky DeSantos, which was the second Red Power Ranger in ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' and eventu ...

and drummer Rudy Royston, were a regular at

City Winery City Winery is a winery, restaurant, music venue and private event location in Hudson Square, New York City. Other locations include Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, Boston, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. Satellite locations are sited in Chicago ...

's Wine & Jazz series.

2010s

Michael was on faculty at Siena Jazz Summer Workshop in Italy from 2009 to 2014. His role there included teaching ensembles, saxophone masterclasses and directing student recitals. He also performed in faculty concerts with colleagues including, Enrico Rava,

Greg Osby Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with Jaki ...

Kenny Werner Kenny Werner (born November 19, 1951) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and author. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Werner began playing and performing at a young ...

, Antonio Sánchez, Eric Harland and

Ben Perowsky Ben Perowsky (born May 12, 1966) is an American drummer, percussionist, composer, and music producer. He is the drummer on stage in the 8 TONY award winning Broadway musical Hadestown. Perowsky leads the Ben Perowsky Trio, Moodswing Orchestra and ...

. In 2013 Michael was funded by the

Doris Duke Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American billionaire tobacco heiress, philanthropist, art collector, horticulturalist, and socialite. She was often called "the richest girl in the world". Her great wealth, luxurious l ...

Charitable Foundation to write ''Contrasts in Individualism: The Innovations of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young''. He recorded the music with Ben Allison,

Frank Kimbrough Frank Kimbrough (November 2, 1956 – December 30, 2020) was an American post-bop jazz pianist. He was born and raised in Roxboro, North Carolina. He did some work at Chapel Hill before moving to Washington, D. C. in 1980 and then New York City ...

and Rudy Royston and released ''Tiddy Boom'' the following year on Sunnyside Records. Blake wrote an analysis of his solo from the title track for

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

Magazine's ''Woodshed Department''. In 2015 Michael recorded ''Red Hook Soul'' (2016) for Ropeadope with

Erik Deutsch Erik Deutsch is an American pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator. He leads his own band and was a founding member of Fat Mama. Deutsch is also known for his work with Charlie Hunter, Leftover Salmon, Dixie Chicks, Sh ...

, Ari Blotnick, Moses Patrou and Tim Lüntzel. From 2015 to 2019 Michael was on faculty at

Jerry Granelli Gerald John Granelli (December 30, 1940July 20, 2021) was an American-Canadian jazz drummer. He was best known for playing drums on the soundtrack '' A Charlie Brown Christmas'' with the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Early life Granelli was born to Jack ...

's Creative Music Workshop in Halifax, Canada. In 2019 Granelli arranged a residency and recording session with Blake, cellist Peggy Lee, and pianist Chris Gestrin at

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

. In 2016, Blake toured in Italy and Sardinia with his Tiddy Boom Quartet and performed at the historic Sesc Pompéia in São Paulo. Throughout 2017 Michael performed with the

Trio and recorded ''Live at the Memphis Music Mansion'' with drummer

George Sluppick George Peter Sluppick (born January 14, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. to George Thomas Scott Sluppick and Rosa Lee Deckard) is an American touring and session drummer, best known for his association with bands such as The City Champs, Robert Walte ...

. Starting in 2018 Blake began writing profiles on musicians (Jay Rodrigues, Marcus Rojas, Gina Leishman) published on

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

2020s

In late 2020 Michael recorded an original set of music for a new project called Chroma Nova. The still unreleased album, ''Dance of the Mystic Bliss'' was mixed by Scott Harding and features Brazilian percussionists

Mauro Refosco Mauro Refosco is a Brazilian percussionist. He is best known for working with singer David Byrne and as the former touring and session percussionist for the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is a member of the experimental supergrou ...

and Rogerio Bocatto. Blake rejoined his Lounge Lizards colleagues in 2021 and 2022 to record new music for John Lurie's TV Series Painting with John on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. In October 2022 Michael released ''Comboblulate'' for Newvelle Records. He composed and arranged 7 new pieces for the album which features a brass band with tuba players

and Bob Stewart, trombonist Clark Gayton, trumpeter Steven Bernstein and drummer Allan Mednard.

Grant awards

Honorable mentions

''Drift'' was selected as 1999's Album of the Year by Germany's Jazzthing Magazine Critics Poll. Michael was selected in 2002 by DownBeat magazine's Critics Poll (Talent Deserving Wider Recognition) Categories for Artist of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist and Soprano Saxophonist ''Hellbent'' was selected as Album of the Year in 2010 by Andrey Henkin at All About Jazz ''Tiddy Boom'' was selected Album of the Year by DownBeat critic James Hale. The album is listed on several Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2014 lists including The Chicago Reader and Lament for a Straight Line. ''Fulfillment'' was selected Album of the Year by Bird is the Worm. ''Red Hook Soul'' received 2016's Best Album Cover Art from

The New York City Jazz Record ''The New York City Jazz Record'' is a monthly New York City based publication that includes features, reviews and concert announcements regarding jazz music. It is available in print form (black and white hardcopy) as well as online at www.nycjazz ...

Discography

As leader

* 1997 ''Kingdom of Champa'' (Intuition Music) * 2000 ''Drift'' (Intuition Music) * 2002 ''Elevated'' (P&M Records) * 2005 ''Blake Tartare'' (P&M Records) * 2005 ''Right Before Your Very Ears'' (

Clean Feed Records Clean Feed Records is a jazz record label founded in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2001. The label's roster includes Ray Anderson, Tim Berne, Carlos Bica, Anthony Braxton, Mark Dresser, Ellery Eskelin, Peter Evans, Scott Fields, Fight the Big Bull, ...

) * 2006 ''More Like Us'' (P&M Records) * 2007 ''Amor de Cosmos'' (Songlines Records) * 2008 ''The World Awakes/A Tribute to Lucky Thompson'' (Stunt Records) * 2010 ''Hellbent'' (

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

) * 2012 ''In the Grand Scheme of Things'' (Songlines Records) * 2014 ''Tiddy Boom'' (

Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label established by François Zalacain in 1982 initially to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed beginning a sequence of releases ...

) * 2016 ''Red Hook Soul'' (

Ropeadope Records Ropeadope Records is an American record label known for recordings in a variety of genres including jazz, hip hop, gospel, and electronic music. The label, now led by Louis Marks, was founded in 1999 by Andy HurwitzAndy Hurwitz"Ropeadope carves i ...

) * 2016 ''Fulfillment'' (Songlines Records) * 2022 ''Combobulate'' (Newvelle Records)

As co-leader

* 1998 Slow Poke, ''Slow Poke at Home'' (

) * 1999 Slow Poke, ''Redemption'' (Intuition Music) * 2009 Michael Blake/Kresten Osgood'', Control This'', (Clean Feed Records) * 2011 Michael Blake/Tommaso Cappellato/Stefano Senni, ''Live in Pisa'' (Punto Rojo) * 2012 Michael Blake/Ben Allison/Rudy Royston, ''Union Square'' (A-Beat Records) * 2016 Michael Blake/

Samuel Blaser Samuel Blaser (born 20 July 1981 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) is a Swiss trombonist and composer. Biography Born and raised in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Samuel Blaser lived in New York City for many years before relocating to Be ...

/ Michael Sarin, ''Transmissions'' (For Tune Records)

With Ben Allison

* 1998 Ben Allison, ''Medicine Wheel'' (Sonic Camera Records) * 1999 Ben Allison, ''Third Eye'' (Sonic Camera Records) * 2001 Ben Allison, ''Riding the Nuclear Tiger'' (Sonic Camera Records) * 2002 Ben Allison, ''Peace Pipe'' (Sonic Camera Records) * 2004 Ben Allison, ''Buzz'' (Sonic Camera Records) * 2008 Ben Allison, ''Small Things Run the World'' (Sonic Camera Records) * 2011 Ben Allison, ''Action/Refraction'' (Sonic Camera Records)

As sideman

* 1991 The Lounge Lizards, ''Live in Berlin, Vol.1'' (Intuition Music) * 1992

Justin Warfield Justin Evan Warfield (born April 20, 1973) is an American musician and hip hop MC. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist of the darkwave duo She Wants Revenge, which formed in 2004. In 1993, he released a hip-hop album titled '' M ...

, ''My Field Trip To Planet 9'' (Warner Bros. ) * 1993

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...

, ''Shades of Blue'' (Halfnote) * 1993

Stereo MC's Stereo MC's are an English Hip hop music, hip hop/electronic dance music, electronic dance group which formed in Nottingham, England, in 1985. They had an international Top 40, top 20 hit with their single "Connected (Stereo MCs song), Connected ...

, ''Supernatural'' (G street) * 1993 The Lounge Lizards, ''Live in Berlin, Vol.2'' (Intuition Music) * 1994 Rusty Cloud, ''Walkin' the Night'' (Moon Street) * 1995 The Repercussions, '' Earth and Heaven'' (Warner Bros.) * 1996 Soundtrack, ''Get Shorty'' (Verve) * 1996

Rosco Gordon Rosco N. Gordon III (April 10, 1928 – July 11, 2002), sometimes billed as Roscoe Gordon, was an American blues singer, pianist, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit songs "Booted," (1952), "No More Doggin'" (1952), and " Just a Littl ...

, ''Let's Get it On'' (Studio One/Coxsone Music) * 1997 Rusty Cloud & S'killit, ''Blue Fever'' (Moon Street) * 1997 Joe Gallant's Illuminati, ''Blues for Allah'' (

Knitting Factory Records Knitting Factory Records is an independent American music label that is notable for promoting a variety of artists, including the music of deceased Nigerian political activist Fela Kuti. The label promotes a variety of music artists including A ...

) * 1997 London McDaniel, ''Anatural Aphrodisiaca'' (Nubile) * 1998

, ''Queen of all Ears'' (Strange and Beautiful Music) * 1998 Soundtrack, ''Excess Baggage'' (Prophesy) * 1998 Tricky, ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (

Island records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

) * 1998 Walter Thompson Orchestra, ''The Colonel'' (Nine Winds) * 1998 Tim Otto's Pink Noise Saxophone Quartet, ''The Jig is Up'' (Pink Tomato) * 1999 African Swim John Lurie (Strange and Beautiful Music) * 1999

, ''Fishing with John'' (Strange and Beautiful Music) * 1999 Chris Brown/Kate Fenner, ''Geronimo'' (Wolfe Island Records) * 1999 Steven Bernstein, ''Diaspora Soul'' (

Tzadik Records Tzadik Records is a record label in New York City that specializes in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995. He is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases. Tzadik is a n ...

) * 2000

, ''The Legendary Recordings of Marvin Pontiac'' (Strange and Beautiful Music) * 2000 Richard Bliwas, ''Walk the Bike'' (Rising Rose Records) * 2000 The

Project, ''Dr. Cyclops Dream'' (

Soul Note Records Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

) * 2000

, ''Come Around'' (Smells Like Records) * 2001 The Herbie Nichols Project, ''Strange City'' (Palmetto Records) * 2001

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

Kate Fenner Kate Fenner is a Canadian musician, currently based in New York City. The ''New York Times'' describes her vocal stylings as having a "lusty, alternative, Joni Mitchell-ish sound." She was one of the primary singers and songwriters for the Canad ...

, ''O' Witness'' (Wolfe Island Records) * 2001 Richard Bliwas, ''Compose Yourself - Ten Improvisations'' (Rising Rose Records) * 2002 Kresten Osgood feat. Lonnie Smith, ''Hammond Rens'' (ILK) * 2006

, ''Til' the Sun Turns Black'' (

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

) * 2009 Tommaso Cappellato, ''Open'' (Elefante Rosso) * 2010 Peter Scherr, ''Son of August'' (1hr Music/CDBaby) * 2011 Giovanni Guidi, ''We Don't Live Here Anymore'' ( CAM Jazz) * 2013 Scott Neumann, ''Blessed'' (

Origin Records Origin Records is a jazz and classical music record label founded by drummer John Bishop in 1997.de Barros, Paul (July 2, 2002)Small label, big noise: Ballard's Origin Records drumming up national interest Seattle Times. With the help of drummer M ...

) * 2014

/ Steven Bernstein and the Hot 9, ''Vipers Drag'' (

Impulse! Records Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positi ...

) * 2015 Michael Bates, ''Northern Spy'' (Stereoscopic) * 2018 Greg Cordez, ''Last Things Last'' * 2020 Allesandro Giachero/Franco Fabrini/Francesco Petreni, feat. Michael Blake, ''At the Fortress'' * 2020 Rusty Cloud, ''Big Apple Ball'' * 2020 Falkner Evans, ''Marbles'' (Consolidated Artists Productions) * 2020 Chris McCarthy, ''Still Time to Quit'' (

) * 2021 Charlie Hunter, "Live at the Memphis Music Mansion" * 2021 Tomasso Cappellato, "Pioneered" (Domanda)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Michael American jazz saxophonists Canadian jazz saxophonists 1964 births Living people Jazz musicians from New York (state) American male jazz musicians American composers