March 27, 2019
On Sunday, April 7th at 5:00 p.m., Blake and Brass, a one-of-a-kind brass band with a downtown attitude, will be performing at Rizzoli’s beautiful performance space at 1133 Broadway (between 25 and 26th Streets).
Conjuring music from the curbsides and corners of cultures far and wide, Blake and Brass reverberates with the spirit of street music from around the world. Michael Blake’s arrangements reveal a restless adventurer and his all-star band mates know how to spur one another on. Stalwart members of the New York City creative scene, these musicians have collaborated with everyone that matters, from Sonny Rollins to the Lounge Lizards, Robert Altman, Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Bill Frisell, Sting, Prince, Nick Cave, Ray Lamontagne and Natalie Cole and many more.
You can read his reviews at this link, but here is a small sampling:
“Red Hook Soul (Blake’s 2016 album) is a rollicking, joyous bounce. The music just cruises like a partying group of friends barreling down a highway in an open convertible on a sunny day.”
—Ralph Miriello, The Huffington Post
Fullfillment. Is the “Best of 2016. Saxophonist Michael Blake‘s 2016 release is astonishing, exploding with intricate details and unleashing one grand statement after the other. Everything about this album indicates a sound and vision steps ahead of the music of today.”
— Dave Sumner, Bird is the Word
Of his album Kingdom of Champa: “Blake’s vision bristles with colors, textures and mystery.”
—Neil Tesser, Playboy
Of Blake’s offerings on Tiddy Boom: “this is music unbound in time…perfectly executed.”
—James Hale, DownBeat
To listen to highlights of Michael Blake’s discography and some unreleased Blake and Brass music, click here.
To purchase tickets: Please RSVP to mhuston@rizzoliusa.com. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $20 and include complimentary Prosecco. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours it means your RSVP has not been received, so please write again.
Rizzoli Music Aperitivo is sponsored by Mionetto Prosecco and curated by Mondo Jazz, the weekly Radio Free Brooklyn show dedicated to international jazz.