Michael Blake | Reviews

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Michael Blake: Reviews

Panoramic imagination says the New York Times.

All About Jazz
"...a unique sound and experience driven by a unique saxophonist" - Michael McCaw
All About Jazz
"...the group has developed cohesion, easily maneuvering the circuitous compositions on the disc." - Sean Patrick Fitzell

All About Jazz
"an uptempo, highly energized melange of hardcore, free bop, and more" - Glenn Astarita

The New York Times
"...you can hear Archie Shepp and Lucky Thompson and Coltrane and Dewey Redman in Mr. Blake, and the group sounds great while playing what it wants to." - Ben Ratliff

Josephine Ochej provides some very complimentary commentary from the 2004 fest.
Jazz Diary
Festival Review
Festival Photos

"Organically covers a range of stylistic territory, unfolding narratively through the course of the CD. It is another convincing musical statement, well supported by Blake’s finely chosen cast." - Sean Patrick Fitzell
www.allaboutjazz.com

"Now this is exactly what a modern mainstream session should sound like." - Ken Waxman
www.jazzweekly.com

"There's a smoothness here that's hard to resist: an oasis-in-the-moonlight swagger coupled with the finest booze available." - Luke Martin
www.splendidzine.com

"No doubt, “Elevated” should finds it way on quite a few top ten lists for 2002. Strongly recommended!" — Glenn Astarita
www.allmusic.com

"Blake and company impart to this session mucho piquancy and imagination, keeping it head ‘n’ shoulders above the pack." - Mark Keresman
www.jazzreview.com

"There's a small but growing legion of jazz musicians currently challenging the unwritten rules of all-acoustic jazz being traditional; all-electric jazz being fusion. Canadian saxophonist Michael Blake is one such musician. The New York resident and longtime member of the Lounge Lizards combines a forward-thinking attitude with traditional instrumentation on his new CD, Drift, proving that there is such a thing as acoustic fusion."
Read the whole review
Bill Meredith, Fuse Magazine

"Vehemently recommended!"
Read the whole review
Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz - The Internet Guide to Jazz, April 2001

"...intelligent, composerly handling of his resources -- his various influences and his cast of 10 musicians. Generally speaking, he likes his ensembles full-bodied and energetic, his soloists vivid , his guitarist trebly and his rhythms weighty ...his intentions seem to be nothing more than exploring the pleasures of making music...his own tenor saxophone is a central voice....and like his writing, moves boldly from tradition to tradition. But there's nothing that seems forced or merely flamboyant here; Blake's power both as a player and a composer is persuasive yet completely under control, not a note of intimidation to be heard or felt."
Rating: ****
The Globe and Mail, Mark Miller, April 2001

"...listeners will be amazed by how danceable this album truly is."
Read the whole review
Tad Hendrickson, CMJ New Music Report Issue: 709 - Apr 09, 2001

"Michael Blake's Free Association features the tenor saxophonist Blake, a cerebral and venturing improvisor whose captivating tone has enliivened the Lounge Lizards and Ben Allison's Medicine Wheel, alongside a well calibrated group of like-minded players."
The New Yorker, March 29th 1999

"His Free Association combo prides itself on the zigzag. But throwing listeners off track isn't the intention. Watch how Tronzo and Ben Allison help the sax player round those corners."
The Village Voice, Jim Macnie, March 1999

"Mr. Blake, especially on tenor saxophone, has a rolling, jumping style; he likes melodies and little internal riffs. Guitarist Tony Scherr was dry, with a concrete tone and persistent and he made for a perfect contrast."
The New York Times, Peter Watrous, June 1998

"The ever intuitive Michael Blake realizes that momentum is as crucial as architecture. His horns always help drive this music forward."
The Village Voice, Jim Macnie, July 1998

"As loose as they are tight, as committed as they are nonchalant, as schooled as they are instinctive, saxophonist Blake's small combos have an inspired promiscuity to them."
The Village Voice, Jim Macnie, December 1997

"The saxophonist/leader is a double-horned wonder, often conjuring Rahsaan's thar-she-blows textural character, yet coming up with a personal sort of lyricism deep enough to make you think he's either an old soul or his car just got towed again. By finding ways to make fragments and tangents behave in comprehensive manner, Blake's band revitalized the Art Ensemble's old game: ancient to the future continuity, doled out in a subversively vivacious manner."
The Village Voice, Jim Macnie, July 1997

"...startlingly original music."
JazzTimes, Bill Milkowski, October 1998

"...blows his sax mightily."
New York Post, May 1997

Web review (in Italian)
All About Jazz

"Possibly the world's sleepiest, sexiest, instrumental quartet."
The Georgia Straight, February 2000

"Moments of humour and unexpected beauty are all part of the Slow Poke signature."
The Westender, February 2000

"Slow Poke reinvents traditional tunes while staying faithful to the originals."
NY Daily News, January 2000

"Four of downtown's finest."
Time Out NY, January 1999

"Don't call it funk, now. Just exhale and try to imagine what would have happened if Englewood Cliffs was next to Muscle Shoals. This new groove fourtet - Blake, Tronzo, Wollesen, Scherr - lives up to the sexual innuendo of its moniker by finding tension and release in Eddie Harris and Neil Young. Quite convincing, actually."
The Village Voice, Jim Macnie, December 1998

"The music here is full of spirit, a kind of electro-funk stew of the avant-garde."
The Montreal Gazette, July 1998

"Tronzo appeared with Slow Poke, a band led with tenor saxophonist and current Lounge Lizards member Michael Blake and featuring ubiquitous drummer Kenny Wollesen and Lounge Lizards bassist Tony Scherr. True to their name, they took most of the tempos at an absurdly slow pace (a rarity amongst New York musicians out to flaunt chops in a macho-competitive scene), at times sounding like Stan Getz on quaaludes jamming with the Cowboy Junkies. But there were moments too when the sparks really flew, particularly when Tronzo unleashed with reckless abandon on his wah-wah and when Blake summoned up the spirit of Eddie Harris. Watch for Slow Poke's upcoming debut on the Intuition label. It comes highly recommended."
Jazzthing Magazine, Bill Milkowski, February 1999

"...an astonishingly mature and original debut CD. The music here falls provocatively beyond categorization. It's Blake's concept, not his cast, that makes Kingdom of Champa so impressive. He has written a gorgeous, seven part suite inspired by a month long sojourn in Vietnam. A CD worthy of someone like Henry Threadgill - lofty company."
Globe & Mail, Mark Miller, May 1997

"Blake's vision bristles with colors, textures and mystery."
Playboy, Neil Tesser, October 1997

"An arrestingly beautiful and imaginatively expressive showcase for his multi-reed and composing talents. This electro-acoustic theme album, an extended tone poem that recalls later Gil Evans, is, in total, a magnificent artistic achievement that transcends category."
CMJ, Gene Kalbacher, June 1997

"...a bold, high fidelity work of art."
Modern Drummer, October 1997

"Blake definitely has an individual composing voice. He sounds like a promising addition to the scene."
Option, Jerome Wilson, October 1997