Saturday, July 05, 2008

Drummer-composer Brian Blade: NPR.org/music has recent live set at Village Vanguard, NYC


Brian Blade
Originally uploaded by Moochin Photoman
NPR does not hold back when it comes to Shreveport's favorite son of jazz, the drummer and composer Brian Blade: "Widely recognized as one of the finest drummers in modern jazz — or in all of popular music, for that matter — Brian Blade directed the spotlight onto his compositional and bandleading talents when he helmed his Fellowship Band in a live performance at the Village Vanguard, broadcast live on air by WBGO and live online at NPR Music."

And it makes Blade fans feel good to hear a summary of his career one more time: "Having soaked up the musical lessons of his native Louisiana, Blade first emerged on the national jazz landscape in the 1990s amid talented peers such as Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman. As his generation of young lions turned into the standard-bearers of contemporary jazz, his talents also have garnered him frequent appearances and recordings with legends like Wayne Shorter. Blade hasn't limited himself to jazz alone; he has played on records with Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan, among others."

Having listened to his new record with the Fellowship Band for a few weeks, I can effortlessly recommend it to you. The disk is called Season Of Changes.

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