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About this clip:
Drummer and bandleader Johnathan Blake and his band perform the title composition from his 2023 Blue Note album “Passage,” composed by his father John Blake Jr., during their concert on February 9, 2023 — part of the 2023-24 Season and broadcast on Fridays Live.
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About the concert:
Known worldwide for his 15-year membership in Kenny Barron’s working trio and sideman duty with Pharoah Sanders, Chris Potter, Bill Frisell, and Tom Harrell among others, one of the most accomplished drummers in modern jazz makes his West Coast debut as a leader, joined by his quintet My Life Matters — a band named for the dynamic new suite of music they will be performing.
Featuring Bay Area raised saxophone great Dayna Stephens and piano phenom Fabian Almazan along with young vibraphone virtuoso Jalen Baker and Blake’s longtime collaborator, bassist Dezron Douglas, the group performs material from Blake’s new suite My Life Matters as well has his 2023 sophomore Blue Note release Passage. Commissioned by New York’s Jazz Gallery, My Life Matters is a dual treatise on the importance of family values and the social imperative to stand up in the face of injustice. In the composer’s words, “It’s not just about Black Lives Matter, it’s about us as a whole. We have to learn how to coexist. We were all created here to live in harmony with one another. These pieces will hopefully serve as a jumping point for open discussion on that.”

PERSONNEL:
Johnathan Blake: drums
Dayna Stephens: tenor saxophone
Jalen Baker: vibraphone
Fabian Almazan: piano
Dezron Douglas: bass

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