Alex Blake

Alex Blake

Alex Blake performing with Randy Weston, Billy Harper and Neil Clarke (percussion) at the Jazz Standard, March 2007
Background information
Born (1951-12-21) December 21, 1951
Genres post-bop, jazz
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Double bass, Bass Guitar
Labels Verve Records, Sunnyside Records, Random Chance, Muse Records, Atlantic Records, Rhino Records, CTI Records, Black Saint, Koch Records, Columbia Records, Tomato Records, Charly Records, Elektra Records, Raven Records, MCA Records, Waterlily Acoustics, Warner Bros. Records, Arista Records, A&M Records, Mercury Records, Hip-O Records, Arabesque Records, Ubiquity Records, RED Ink Records, Downtown Records
Associated acts Sun Ra Arkestra
Website http://www.alexblakebass.com/

Alex Blake (born Alejandro Blake Fearon, Jr.)[1] is a post-bop jazz double-bassist and electric bass guitarist.

Biography

Blake was born in Panama and moved to the United States at the age of 7, growing up in Brooklyn, NY. He began his career with Sun Ra in his band Arkestra. He became one of the major proponents of the fusion movement in the late 1970s with his writing and performances with Lenny White and Billy Cobham.[2]

A live performance compilation was released by Bubble Core Records in 2000 titled Now Is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory. The album featured Blake's own quintet, which included Pharoah Sanders, Victor Jones, John Hicks and Neil Clarke (percussion).[3]

In addition to leading his own group, Blake also performs and records with Randy Weston, as well as other musicians.

Discography

As leader

Alex Blake
Album Year Label
Now Is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory 2000 Bubble Core

As sideman

Randy Weston Album Year Label
Spirits of Our Ancestors 1991 Verve Records
Saga 1995 Verve Records
Khepara 1998 Verve Records
Live in St. Lucia 2003 Image Records
Spirit! The Power of Music 2003 Sunnyside Records
Zep Tepi, The Randy Weston African Rhythms Trio 2006 Random Chance
Carlos Garnett Album Year Label
Black Love 1974 Muse Records
Billy Cobham Album Year Label
Shabazz 1974 Atlantic Records
Total Eclipse 1974 Atlantic Records
Funky Side of Things 1975 Atlantic Records
Introducing Billy Cobham 2006 WEA International
Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology 2001 Rhino Records
Airto Album Year Label
Virgin Land 1974 CTI Records
Charles Sullivan Album Year Label
Genesis 1974 Strata-East
Don Pullen Album Year Label
Capricorn Rising 1975 Black Saint
Tomorrow's Promises 1977 Koch Records
Frank Lowe Album Year Label
The Flam 1975 Black Saint
Arif Mardin Album Year Label
Journey (Atlantic, 1974) 1975 Atlantic Records
Sonny Rollins Album Year Label
The Way I Feel 1976 Milestone Records/OJC
Yusef Lateef Album Year Label
Autophysiopsychic 1977 CTI Records
Lenny White Album Year Label
Big City 1977 Nemperor Records
The Adventures of Astral Pirates 1978 Elektra Records
The Last Poets Album Year Label
Delights in the Garden 1977 Charly Records
Pharoah Sanders Album Year Label
Love Will Find a Way 1977 Arista Records
Beyond a Dream 1978 Arista Records
Save Our Children 1999 Verve Records
Ryo Kawasaki Album Year Label
Nature's Revenge 1978 MPS Records
Cory Daye Album Year Label
Cory and Me 1979 New York
Dizzy Gillespie Album Year Label
Endlessly 1987 MCA Records
Gabrielle Roth Album Year Label
Totem 1982 Raven Records
The Manhattan Transfer Album Year Label
Bodies and Souls 1983 Atlantic Records
Bop Doo-Wopp 1984 Atlantic Records
Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo 1984 Rhino Records
Vocalese 1985 Atlantic Records
Manhattan Transfer Live: 1987 1987 Atlantic Records
The Offbeat of Avenues 1991 Columbia Records
Anthology: Down in Birdland 1992 Rhino Records
Janis Siegel Album Year Label
At Home 1987 Atlantic Records
Jimmy Buffett Album Year Label
Hot Water 1988 MCA Records
Joey DeFrancesco Album Year Label
All of Me 1989 Columbia Records
Brownie McGhee Album Year Label
Rainy Day 1989 Tomato Records
Blues Is Truth 1996 Blues Alliance
Earl Klugh Album Year Label
Whispers and Promises 1989 Warner Bros. Records
Dom Um Romao Album Year Label
Saudades 1993 Waterlily Acoustics
Norman Hedman Album Year Label
Flight of the Spirit 1994 Monad Records
Vertical Hold Album Year Label
Head First 1995 A&M Records
Chico Freeman Album Year Label
Sweet Explosion 1990 In & Out Records
Ahmed Abdullah Album Year Label
Dedication 1997 CIMP Records
Tara's Song 2005 Tum Records
Greg Bandy Album Year Label
Lightning in a Bottle 1997 Big Ox Records
Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra Album Year Label
It's After the End of the World 1970 MPS
Black Myth/Out in Space 1970 - released 1998 MPS
Phyllis Hyman Album Year Label
One on One 1998 Hip-O Records
Andrienne Wilson Album Year Label
She's Dangerous 1998 Arabesque Records
Mac Gollehon Album Year Label
Smokin' Live 1999 McKenzie Entertainment
Babatunde Lea Album Year Label
March of the Jazz Guerillas 2000 Ubiquity Records
Stan Getz Album Year Label
The Final Concert Recording 2001 Red Ink
Roman Kunsman Album Year Label
Heavy Skies 1997 Downtown Records
Carmen McRae Album Year Label
Live in Tokyo/Vocalese Live, Vol. 1 2004 Eagle Eye Media
Kazumi Watanabe Album Year Label
Village In Bubbles 2004 J-Room Jazz
Cafe Soul All-Stars Album Year Label
Love Pages 2005 YOU Entertainment
Carmen Lundy Album Year Label
Night and Day 1987 CBS/Sony

Compilations

Album Year Label
Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions (Complete) 1976 Knitting Factory
Atlantic Jazz: Best of the '70s 1994 Rhino/Atlantic
Latin Jazz Experience 1996 Pho Records
Viva Cubop!, Vol. 2: Dance the Afro-Cuban Way 2000 Cubop Records

References

  1. ↑ Biography at alexblakebass.com
  2. ↑ Randy Weston website, African Rhythms.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Ken. "Alex Blake Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
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