Brian Blade
Brian Blade ( born July 25, 1970 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American jazz drummer and composer.
Life and work
The son of Dorothy and Pastor Brady Blade Sr. ( pastor at Zion Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana), and the brother of Brady Blade Jr, whom he succeeded as a drummer in his father's church. In 1988, he moved to New Orleans, where he studied with drummer John Vidacovich and initially played with Nicholas Payton in coffee houses. With Ellis Marsalis, he went on tour and played in England with Courtney Pine. Then he played with Harry Connick and was brought in 1992 by Kenny Garrett on the album Black Hope. In addition to his own band, Fellowship, whose debut was released in 1998, he was also a member of the quartet of Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman Elastic Band and in in Directions in Music (a project to the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane and Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock and Roy Hargrove ). He also played with Bill Frisell, the SFJAZZ Collective, Chick Corea, Norah Jones, Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Marianne Faithfull and Seal. In addition to the Fellowship albums of 2000 and 2008 he produced together with pianist Jon Cowherd the band also Lizz Wright's first album Salt of 2003.
In 2009 he published with Mama Rosa 's first album as a singer-songwriter, on which he also played guitar and sang on almost all pieces. Daniel Lanois, with the blade since the first Fellowship album, which Lanois produced, collaborated repeatedly encouraged him to use created over the years at home recordings as the basis for Mama Rosa. In the same year she also founded the alternative rock band Black Dub.
In 2008 he was the readers of Modern Drummer selected the best contemporary jazz drummer and the American Jazz Journalists Association named him 2009 for the jazz drummer of the year.
Discography (selection)
- Brian Blade Fellowship ( 1998)
- Brian Blade Fellowship: Perceptual ( 2000) ( Daniel Lanois and Joni Mitchell as guests )
- Muthspiel / Johnson / Blade: Real Book Stories ( 2001)
- Muthspiel / Johnson / Blade: Air, Love, Vitamins ( 2004)
- Brian Blade, Wolfgang Muthspiel: Friendly Travelers (2006)
- Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band: Season of Changes ( 2008)
- Mama Rosa (2009)
As a sideman
- Kenny Garrett: Percuance - The Music of John Coltrane (1994 )
- Brad Mehldau: Introducing ... (1995 )
- Joshua Redman: Freedom in the Groove (1996 )
- Dianne Reeves: Bridges (1999)
- Rebekka Bakken: Daily Mirror (2000)
- Chris Potter: Gratitude (2000)
- Rick Margitza: Memento (2001)
- Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove: Directions in Music ( 2002)
- Charlie Haden: American Dreams (2002)
- Wayne Shorter: Beyond the Sound Barrier (2005)
- Joshua Redman: Momentum (2005)
- John Patitucci: Line by Line ( 2006)
- Sam Yahel: Truth and Beauty (2007)
- Joachim Kühn & Rolf Kühn: Lifeline (2012 )