Brian Blade

Brian Blade, the multi-talented young veteran, is already widely respected in the jazz world as drummer/composer/leader of Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, with whom he has released three albums. He is also known as the drummer for many heroes of the music world, including Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Wayne Shorter, Seal, Bill Frisell and Emmylou Harris. Blade was born on July 25, 1970 in Shreveport, Louisiana. During his childhood, Blade would hear Gospel music in his everyday life, as well as the music of Al Green; Stevie Wonder; Earth, Wind and Fire; and the Staple Singers. In elementary school, his music appreciation teacher, Lucy Bond, introduced her students to the music of Maurice Ravel and in this class, Blade would play the recorder and various melodic percussion instruments associated with the Carl Orff pedagogy. Since 2000, Blade has been part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet with Danilo Perez and John Patitucci. His 2009 album "Mama Rosa" marked a new endeavor for Blade: a lovingly crafted, emotionally affecting song cycle that's deeply rooted in a rich vein of personal experience. "All That Was Yesterday," "You'll Always Be My Baby" and "Nature's Law" show Blade to be a soulful and expressive vocalist and a songwriter capable of rendering evocative stories that resonate with insight and empathy. "Revealing more of ourselves is always daunting," says Blade, "but I feel like I need to keep challenging myself and peeling away layers to get to the core of who I am and what I have to offer."