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Dave Rivello with the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2021 7:30 P.M.

Ike Sturm + Heart, featuring Donny McCaslin and the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 20217:30 P.M.

FRED STURM JAZZ CELEBRATION WEEKEND

SPONSORED BY

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FRIDAY EVENING SHOWCASE CONCERT

DAVE RIVELLOWith the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble

Lawrence Memorial ChapelFriday, November 5, 2021

7:30 p.m.

No Intermission

The Suspension of Disbelief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Rivello

Dancing in Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Rivello

Blueprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Rivello

Chorale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Rivello

In Your Own Sweet Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dave Brubeck

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .arr. Dave Rivello

I Wasn’t Asking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Rivello

Re-Imagining the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave Rivello

The Gift of Music

As a composer, musician, and educator, Fred Sturm was a life-changing force for all who knew him. His legacy lives on in all of his students, colleagues and friends. In honor of Fred’s enduring spirit, Bob and Darlene Curnow’s Sierra Music Publications has given to Lawrence the entire current Sierra catalogue of over 650 pieces of music as well as each new publication from this date forward. This spectacular gift will be housed in the Fred Sturm Music Library located in Fred’s old office. The space will be a sanctuary for score study, composition lessons and listening; and the collection will provide a treasure trove of music for our bands for years to come. Through this gift, Fred’s legacy will live on at Lawrence. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Bob, Darlene and Sierra Music for this beautiful gift of music.

The Fred Sturm Inspiration AwardsFred Sturm had the remarkable ability to see potential in his students long before the students themselves could see it, and then guide his students to reach beyond their limitations to find their dreams. In honor of Fred’s ability to inspire all who worked with him, an endowed fund has been set up in his name. Students will create proposals in the field of jazz that will expand their horizons and push their personal boundaries. Selected applicants will be given a Fred Sturm Inspiration Award to help them expand their musical and intellectual horizons. We hope that, like Fred, these awards can change lives, and by doing so, continue Fred’s enduring legacy.

Please consider giving to this worthy cause. Go to go.lawrence.edu/gift for giving options. Please specify Sturm Endowment when you give.

What is Music for Food?Music for Food believes both music and food are essential to human life and growth. Music has the power to call forth the best in us, inspiring awareness and action when artists and audiences work together to transform the ineffable into tangible and needed food resources.

Music for Food is a musician-led initiative for local hunger relief. Our concerts raise resources and awareness in the fight against hunger, empowering all musicians who wish to use their artistry to further social justice.

Please donate to Music for Food before leaving tonight!Donations of non-perishable food items or checks will be accepted at the door. All monetary donations are tax deductible, and will be processed by the national office of Music For Food. 100% will be sent to the food pantry at St. Joseph’s.

Each year the St. Joseph Food Program distributes thousands of pounds of food to those who are hungry in the Fox Valley. Lawrence is proud to help.

We collectively acknowledge that Lawrence University is situated on the ancestral homelands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk people.

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Lawrence University Jazz EnsemblePatty Darling, director

REEDS

Owen BradyJohn StecherAlex RothsteinEvan SnoeyLucy Croasdale

TRUMPETS

Gaston KaisinLiam TraynorChris DybleEviatar Shlosberg

Dave Rivello is an American-born composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader working primarily in Jazz, Contemporary Media, and Modern Classical idioms. He apprenticed with Rayburn Wright, Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Bill Holman, and Sam D’Angelo.

He leads a 12-piece ensemble (The Dave Rivello Ensemble) that is his main orchestral voice. He is also the author of the book, Bob Brookmeyer in Conversation with Dave Rivello (ArtistShare).

His debut recording, Facing The Mirror, received strong praise from reviewers in the United States, Italy and Ireland. The Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll chose Facing The Mirror as the Debut Release of that year.

He co-produced the Gil Evans Project live recording, Lines of Color—with leader Ryan Truesdell, which was nominated for a Grammy. He also recently co-produced Jennifer Bellor’s recording, Reflections at Dusk, on Innova Recordings.

He has served as composer-in-residence at a number of schools, writing for their ensembles, giving clinics as well as private lessons. His residencies have been sponsored by Meet The Composer, Harvard Project Zero, and The New York Council of the Arts. He has written for and been commissioned by: The Smithsonian Institute, The United States Air Forces in Europe Band, The University of North Carolina-Wilmington, The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, The Penfield Symphony Orchestra, The Eastman Wind Ensemble, Bobby McFerrin, David Taylor, Phil Woods, Randy Brecker, Regina Carter, the Airmen of Note, The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. His music has been widely performed throughout the U.S. as well as in Germany and Spain.

He is also on the faculty at the world-renowned Eastman School of Music.Dave is proud to be sponsored by Modern Fuel pencils and pens.

www.daverivello.com

http://www.artistshare.com/Projects/Experience/22/499/1/Bob-Brookmeyer-Music-Bob-Brookmeyer-In-Conversation-with-Dave-Rivello?v=2

https://m.facebook.com/dave.rivello.3

TROMBONES

Daniel JohnsonNathan GraffMallory MeyerMatvei MozhaevRyan Saladin, bass trombone

RHYTHM

Carson Bell, guitarReese Pike, pianoMitchell Von Eschen, pianoAaron Brenton, bassAaron Montreal, drumsRyan Gowdy, drums

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Program

Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Wide + Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm Text: Chanda Rule Bernroider.

Blackbird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lennon/McCartney

Unending Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Static . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Life on Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Shepherd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

Supermoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ike Sturm

This program is dedicated to the lasting and loving memory of Fred Sturm.

SATURDAY EVENING SHOWCASE CONCERT

Ike Sturm + Heart featuring Donny McCaslin and the

Lawrence Chamber Orchestra

Lawrence Memorial ChapelSaturday, November 6, 2021

7:30 p.m.

Ike Sturm, bass/compositionMelissa Stylianou, voice

Godwin Louis, alto saxophoneDonny McCaslin, tenor saxophone

Chris Dingman, vibraphoneJesse Lewis, guitar

Johnathan Blake, drumsTim Albright, guest trombone

No intermission

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HEART gathers the warm, brilliant tones of Melissa Stylianou, Godwin Louis, Chris Dingman and Ike Sturm in an enveloping and powerful quartet. Their collective sounds have been described as “dazzling” (NY Times) and “undeniably beautiful,” (DownBeat) bound by raw emotion and incandescent stillness.

Bassist and composer Ike Sturm was raised in a musical home in Wisconsin, learning from his father, renowned composer and arranger, Fred Sturm. Ike has performed with Gene Bertoncini, Theo Bleckmann, Ingrid Jensen, Donny McCaslin, Bobby McFerrin, Ben Monder, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler. He has played on four DownBeat award-winning recordings, as well as several Steve Reich releases on Canteloupe and Nonesuch Records. He has performed with Alarm Will Sound and the International Contemporary Ensemble, along with numerous creative ensembles in New York.

Ike studied jazz and classical bass and composition while earning undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Eastman School of Music. In addition, he drew inspiration from studies with legendary bassist Dave Holland.

Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan, where Sturm served as Music Director for the Jazz Ministry from 2004-2021, commissioned him to compose Jazz Mass, a work for voices, strings and soloists that merges diverse musical languages into a powerfully unified aesthetic. The piece was released to critical international acclaim, named one of DownBeat’s “Best Albums of the Year” and has been performed across the U.S., Scandinavia and Europe.

ENDLESS FIELD, Ike’s ambient acoustic duo with guitarist Jesse Lewis has been featured live on WBGO New York’s “The Checkout” and on NPR. Their eponymous 2017 album was released on Biophilia Records and includes GRAMMY-winning soloist Donny McCaslin. The project aims to engage others in environmental awareness and activism through music and volunteer activities. In 2019 Ike and Jesse trekked to Utah to record a live wilderness album using a solar-powered battery, collaborating with National Geographic videographers and L.A. sound engineers. Alive in the Wilderness was released to critical acclaim in 2020. Endless Field has been featured live on NYC’s “The Checkout” on WBGO and National Public Radio (NPR). Ike is currently touring, finishing a new album for HEART and composing three new large-scale commissions in 2021–2022 for Notre Dame and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. www.ikesturm.com

Lawrence Chamber OrchestraMark Dupere, conductor

VIOLIN I

Marissa Zintel, Concertmaster Samantha Correa-Gomez, Assist. Concertmaster Nina Schifano Nell Rudoff VIOLIN II Joel Peterson* Maximiliano Rossetti-Barale+ Ellie Lutterman Eli Jordan

VIOLA Amy Gruen* Courtney Wilmington+ Chris Chang Penelope Sligh Megan Mendyke Liu Scott CELLO

Alex Lewis* Mystique Evans+ David Yudis Josue Koenig Caitlin Forbes BASS

Ryan Erdmann* Aaron Brenton

* principal

+ assistant principal

The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra is a newly formed ensemble under the direction of Mark Dupere, to allow exploration of the rich repertoire written for a smaller orchestra. Primarily a string group. the LCO allows for greater opportunity for leadership and chamber music development of the students. The LCO gives approximately six concerts a year, performing standard works as well as contemporary music. All Lawrence string students will have the opportunity to play in both the larger Symphony orchestra and the Chamber orchestra at some point in their Lawrence career, greatly enriching their orchestral experience. All LCO concerts are webcast live from the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

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sessions. Godwin is the founder of Experience Ayiti, a nonprofit educational, multidisciplinary arts organization. Godwin’s debut album as a leader, entitled Global, was released in February 2019.

Chris Dingman is a vibraphonist and composer known for his distinctive approach to the instrument: sonically rich and conceptually expansive, bringing listeners on a journey to a beautiful, transcendent place. He has been profiled by NPR, the New York Times, DRUM magazine and many other publications, and has received fellowships and grants from the Chamber Music America, the Doris Duke Foundation, New Music USA, and the Herbie Hancock Institute (formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute). Dingman has done significant work with legendary artists Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter as well as next generation visionaries such as Jen Shyu, Ambrose Akinmusire, Steve Lehman, and many others, performing around the world including India, Vietnam, and extensively in Europe and North America. Hailed by the New York Times as a “dazzling” soloist and a composer with a “fondness for airtight logic and burnished lyricism,” the fluidity of his musical approach has earned him praise as “an extremely gifted composer, bandleader, and recording artist.” (Jon Weber, NPR).

Days before his January 2016 death, David Bowie released his final album, Blackstar. While the record represented an endpoint for the legendary artist, it also marked a new beginning for jazz lifer Donny McCaslin who, armed with his saxophone, defined Blackstar’s visionary stylistic fusion.

Now, two and a half years after Blackstar’s release, McCaslin returns with a new album, Blow., a new definitive statement that fully realizes Bowie’s influence and McCaslin’s evolved artistic direction. “Before working with him, things like this didn’t seem possible to me,” McCaslin says of Blow., the most daring work of his two-decade, GRAMMY®-nominated career— set for October 5 release on Motéma Music. “The affirmation of that project and how wonderfully that turned out artistically—I feel like anything is possible now.”

Despite McCaslin’s extensive, acclaimed career—he grew up gigging with his father’s jazz ensembles in Santa Cruz, California, attended Boston’s esteemed Berklee College of Music, and began his recording career in the late ’90s—collaborating with Bowie altered how he approached his craft. “His aesthetic in the studio was, ‘Go for what you’re hearing, don’t worry about what it’s going to be called or categorized as,’” McCaslin recalls of the late icon. “’Let’s have some fun. Let’s make some music.’” With the expansive, diverse Blow., McCaslin takes Bowie’s philosophy to heart.

Melissa Stylianou has been turning heads and capturing hearts since the turn of this century, from her native Toronto to her adopted home of New York City, from intimate club residencies to top festival stages. Across her five solo albums (including No Regrets, which JazzTimes called “Smart. Seamless. Stunning.”), Melissa has maintained a focus on storytelling, whether through her original compositions and lyrics, interpreting the music of songwriters like Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Björk, or finding a unique and personal way to present oft-sung jazz standards. From top stages and clubs in NYC (Jazz Standard, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center) to jazz festivals all over Canada, the U.S., and Europe, to her world-wide appearances with the NY-based vocal harmony trio “Duchess”, Melissa continues to endear audiences far and wide with her heartfelt singing and intimate performance style. Recently Duchess was awarded the prestigious Jazz Journalists Award for Best Vocal Jazz Group in 2021. Her newest endeavor is a trio album of jazz standards with Ike Sturm on bass and guitar legend Gene Bertoncini. DownBeat has called her a “sophisticated storyteller” and an “original”, while Grammy-nominated pianist Fred Hersch says: “Melissa has it al—a gorgeous instrument, superb musicianship and great taste.”

Godwin Louis, alto saxophonist, was born in Harlem, New York and began playing saxophone at age nine. Godwin grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Port au Prince, Haiti. Godwin was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Saxophone Competition. He has performed around the globe including: Mali, Senegal, Togo, France, Finland, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Venezuela, Colombia, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia. Godwin is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute for Jazz Performance. Godwin has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Jack Dejohnette, Jimmy Heath, Billy Preston, Patti Labelle, Toni Braxton, Babyface, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Barry Harris, Howard Shore, David Baker, Mulatu Astakte, Mahmoud Ahmed, Wynton Marsalis, and Terence Blanchard just to name a few.

In addition, Godwin has performed as a sideman, guest soloist and has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide. As a composer, Godwin has received the Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, and the Jazz Gallery’s “New Works Commission”. As an educator, humanitarian and ambassador, Godwin has traveled from Benin to China to help promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce thousands to America’s indigenous art form, through public concerts, master classes, and jam

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hearing something different and trying to explore what that was,” he reveals. “The direction of this record is something I wouldn’t have imagined myself doing 10 years ago. But having the opportunity to play so much and then see where my creative imagination would go, and to be in that space for a lot longer, led me -this new pathway.” Adds McCaslin: “Because we had been playing so much, it felt pretty natural just to go into the studio and do this.”

Once he got down to business on Blow. pre-production in the fall 2017, McCaslin says producer Steve Wall (Lucius, Tall Heights) began to conceptually tie the album’s many diverse styles together. “He’s very methodical and deliberate. I give a lot of credit to Steve,” McCaslin shares, “he had a vision for this album from the beginning and was right there working with me as the music developed. He’s a unique talent and he does it all; engineering, mixing, song writing, producing, sound design.”

Vocals also play a crucial role on Blow., in ways that they haven’t previously in McCaslin’s career. “There’s so much that’s possible,” he realized after the Blackstar sessions. “Why don’t I make a vocal record?” Besides his fruitful collaborations with Taylor, Dorsey, and Kozelek, McCaslin teamed with Dahle on “What About the Body” and three other tracks—“New Kindness,” “Club Kidd,” and “Great Destroyer”—that constitute the album’s emotional core.

“There’s some social commentary” on “New Kindness,” says McCaslin, likening the song’s themes of partisan polarization to those on “What About the Body.” “At least from my perspective, we’re in a really f---ed-up time in this country—sorry for the French,” he notes wryly. “What’s going to get us out of this? Maybe it’s new kindness. I think that’s something that’s really timely and really powerful.” “Club Kidd,” meanwhile, unites two unlikely topics—bee migration and McCaslin’s own experiences as a college student going to club shows—for a unique, intricate result.

Ultimately, McCaslin returns repeatedly to a specific phrase: “new territory.” Along with his bandmates, he’s propelling his music to places that seemed unreachable—to the extent that he’d even conceived of them—just a few years ago. And Blow. isn’t the endpoint. “The live show is really evolving,” says McCaslin, thrilled to share his fresh material with audiences around the world. “It’s going to continue to evolve and we have this vision of how it’s going to evolve. It’s going to be much different from what it has been.” Recent years have been a whirlwind for McCaslin, but Blow. proves he’s ready for his next chapter: “Going all in with new territory is really stimulating to me.”

Johnathan Blake, one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation,

McCaslin hinted at his new direction earlier this summer with the release of the project’s first single “What About the Body,” a sizzling cut that blends alt-rock, jazz, and politically suggestive lyrics from singer-songwriter Ryan Dahle (Limblifter, Mounties) for a potent product—but it’s just one of the many flavors he explores on the diverse record.

Supported by a top-notch cast of musicians that includes Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek, Blackstar bandmate Tim Lefebvre, and fellow Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey, McCaslin applies his jazz roots in thrilling ways throughout Blow.’s hour runtime. “The idea was to just really go for exploring these collaborations and documenting everything,” explains McCaslin, adding that the project had a “good gestation process” and developed “in a way that didn’t feel rushed.”

McCaslin emphasizes Blow.’s “wide range of moods,” and some of them—like the driving, 10-minute instrumental “Break the Bond” or the chaotic and appropriately titled “Exactlyfourminutesofimprovisedmusic”—will sound familiar to longtime McCaslin fans. Others, not so much. “Tempest,” a searing blast of prog-punk, clocks in at only 79 seconds and features off-the-cuff vocals from Jeff Taylor. Dorsey’s soulful pipes complete the downtempo quiet storm of closer “Eye of the Beholder.” And Kozelek—who McCaslin met and performed with when their tour itineraries recently intersected in Australia—delivers a hyper-detailed, characteristically batty narrative on “The Opener” to accompany an instrumental influenced by Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest.

Naturally, McCaslin’s horn unites Blow.’s disparate elements, though not in the way one might expect. Thinking back to the Blackstar sessions, McCaslin remembers how Bowie urged him to manipulate his instrument’s sound, to create “different loops and textures” while improvising. “That really stuck with me” says McCaslin. “It’s such a big part of what I’m doing now, how I integrate the electronics and the saxophone.”

According to McCaslin, the “natural progression” that led to Blow. began with 2016’s Beyond Now. Compromised of originals written after Blackstar’s recording but before Bowie’s death, as well as covers of Bowie, Mutemath, and Deadmau5, the record contains what McCaslin describes as “the seed” that grew into Blow.: His moody, electro-tinged rendition of Bowie’s “A Small Plot of Land.” “That’s the connecting point for what I’m doing now,” he says.

But because McCaslin recorded Beyond Now nearly immediately after Bowie’s death, it didn’t capture Blackstar’s full influence on his playing and writing—it took months of relentless touring for those lessons to seep in. “I was

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Blake’s playing helped the Mingus Big Band land Grammy nominations for the albums Tonight at Noon (2002) and I Am Three (2005). It has also earned Blake spots in groups led by Russell Malone, Randy Brecker, Joe Locke, Ronnie Cuber and other seasoned jazz veterans. As trumpet great Brian Lynch has said: “Johnathan Blake is without peer among young drummers for the clarity of his beat and the incisiveness of his swing.”

“Rebirthing the cool in the 21st century, Jesse Lewis is flipping the script on jazz for a whole new generation,” writes Australian music critic Jeremy Balius (Fly Global Music). Hailed as “an articulate ace” and “scorching guitarist” (NY Times) and a “poet of the steel string” (Stereophile Magazine), New York City based guitarist Jesse Lewis is a first call collaborator with the finest musicians in the world.

Lewis studied at the University of New Orleans and the Manhattan School of Music, and has since performed or recorded with many of the City’s finest creative jazz musicians, including Chris Potter, Dave Binney, Mark Turner, Ingrid Jensen, Aaron Parks, Donny McCaslin, Anat Cohen, Chris Speed, Joel Frahm, Louis Bonilla, Bill Goodwin, Dick Oatts, John Riley, Dave Douglas, and Matt Wilson.

In April of 2008 Lewis released his highly anticipated sophomore recording, Atticus. On this recording Lewis explored new sonic possibilities and blended jazz, rock, and electronic music. In 2016, the critically acclaimed composer, Kyle Saulnier, released an adaptation of Atticus for his 20-piece ensemble, The Awakening Orchestra. The album was released on Biophilia Records and it features Lewis, nested in the center of the ensemble, and showcases shifting orchestral textures alongside imaginative solos and blistering ensemble work.

Lewis’ unique and eclectic style has also been utilized by a wide variety of artists outside of the instrumental jazz world, such as Grammy Award winning R&B sensation Chrisette Michele; African music legends Chiwoniso and Sam Mtukudzi; EDM superstar Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic; and Motown Legends Little Anthony and the Imperials. Lewis has also worked with many legendary jazz vocalists including the New York Voices, Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), Theo Bleckmann, and recently he worked on Taking Pictures, the new album by singer/songwriter Jo Lawry, which features Sting. He is currently active in touring and creating new projects with ENDLESS FIELD, his ambient acoustic duo with Ike Sturm.

has also proven himself a complete and endlessly versatile musician—“the ultimate modernist,” as John Murph of NPR has dubbed him. Blake’s gift for composition and band leading reflects years of live and studio experience across the aesthetic spectrum.

Through years-long memberships in the Tom Harrell Quintet, the Kenny Barron Trio and other top ensembles, Blake has reaped the benefits of prolonged exposure to the greats of our time—arguably of all time. Through his powerful, evocative drumming and fully rounded artistry, he’s also left a huge imprint on the music of such rising figures in jazz as Hans Glawischnig, Alex Sipiagin, Donny McCaslin, Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital, Patrick Cornelius, Michael Janisch, Shauli Einav, Jaleel Shaw and more. To date, Blake has appeared on over 50 albums.

Born in Philadelphia in 1976, Johnathan Blake is the son of renowned jazz violinist John Blake, Jr.—himself a stylistic chameleon and an important ongoing influence. After beginning on drums at age 10, Johnathan gained his first performing experience with the Lovett Hines Youth Ensemble, led by the renowned Philly jazz educator. It was during this period, at Hines’s urging, that Blake began to compose his own music. Later he worked with saxophonist Robert Landham in a youth jazz ensemble at Settlement Music School.

Blake graduated from George Washington High School and went on to attend the highly respected jazz program at William Paterson University, where he studied with Rufus Reid, John Riley, Steve Wilson and Horace Arnold. At this time Blake also began working professionally with the Oliver Lake Big Band, Roy Hargrove and David Sanchez. In 2006 he was recognized with an ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award, and in 2007 he earned his Masters from Rutgers University, focusing on composition. He studied with the likes of Ralph Bowen, Conrad Herwig and Stanley Cowell.

Deeply aware of Philadelphia’s role as a historical nerve center of American music, Blake has immersed himself in the city’s storied legacy—not just jazz but also soul, R&B and hip-hop. In many ways he’s an heir to Philadelphia drum masters such as Philly Joe Jones, Bobby Durham, Mickey Roker and Edgar Bateman, not to mention younger mentors including Byron Landham, Leon Jordan and Ralph Peterson, Jr. Today Blake is himself an exponent of the Philadelphia sound, described by Aidan Levy of JazzTimes in a review of his debut album, The Eleventh Hour as: “the vertiginous sensation of being both slightly behind the beat and hurtling into the next measure.” Approaches like this, one might add, can only be learned by sitting at Mickey Roker’s right hand and absorbing exactly how the ride cymbal is struck. Such is the painstaking firsthand exploration that undergirds and informs Blake’s musicianship.

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