BIX TOP ACT: Johnathan Blake

"It's a testament to Blake's abilities that he makes his presence felt in any context." - DownBeat

Hailed by NPR Music as "the ultimate modernist," Philadelphia-raised Johnathan Blake has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Tom Harrell, Hans Glawischnig, Avishai Cohen, Donny McCaslin, Linda May Han Oh, Jaleel Shaw, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Alex Sipiagin, Kris Davis and countless other distinctive artists. DownBeat once wrote:

His most recent releases as a leader include "Passage" (Blue Note, 2023) and "Homeward Bound" (Blue Note 2021). A frequent contributor to Blue Note Records in recent years, Blake's strong, smooth pulse and breezy precision has also contributed to several leading releases by Blue Note artists, including "Breathe" (2021), "All in My Mind" (2018) and "Evolution" (2016) by Dr. Lonnie Smith, and "Concentric Circles" (2018) by Kenny Barron, of whose trio Blake has been a key member for nearly 15 years.

His new album "My Life Matters", which will be released by Blue Note in August 2025, is a suite of music that explores the idea of raising our voices when we experience injustice. Don't be silent, because then you become part of the problem. The suite was commissioned by the Jazz Gallery in New York City.

Blake's band Pentad is a quintet of musicians whose expressions inhabit the mystery of time and space. "The name represents us as five individuals coming together for a common goal: to make the most honest music possible," says Blake, who founded the band with the intention of composing a fuller, more explicit chordal sound than his previous projects. The result is an incredibly intuitive, dense sound that encourages spontaneity and is based on trust.

Line-up: Johnathan Blake (dr); Dayna Stephens (sax/ewi); Fabian Almazan (p, electronics); Jalen Baker (via); Dezron Douglas (b)