R.I.P. - John Blake Jr., a jazz violinist who combined strong classical technique with the expressive power of African-American spirituals, folk music and blues, died on Friday August 15 in Philadelphia. He was 67. The cause was complications of multiple myeloma, said Charlotte Blake Alston, his sister. Mr. Blake was highly regarded for the energy and clarity of his playing, and for carving out a space for the violin in the realms of post-bop and jazz-funk. Early in his career he worked with the avant-garde saxophonist Archie Shepp, appearing on his albums “The Cry of My People” and “Attica Blues.” He came to greater prominence in bands led by the saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and the pianist McCoy Tyner. Both later appeared on Mr. Blake’s own albums; he released five on the Gramavision label, starting with “Maiden Dance” in 1984. Reviewing him that year in The New York Times, Jon Pareles noted that “where some jazz violin solos could easily be played as horn lines, Mr. Blake deploys violinistic slides, tremolos and doublestops not as special effects, but as flexible, vocalistic shadings.” nytimes/2014/08/20/arts/music/john-blake-jr-versatile-jazz-violinist-dies-at-67.html?_r=0 ► 5:54► 5:54 youtube/watch?v=kETjeF_w2jE
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 00:23:16 +0000
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