Multi-talented veteran Brian Blade is widely respected in the jazz world as the drummer/composer/leader of Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, with whom he has released three albums. He also is 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, he would hear gospel music in his everyday life, as well as the music of Al Green, Stevie Wonder, the Staple Singers and Earth, Wind & Fire. In elementary school, his music appreciation teacher, Lucy Bond, introduced her students to the music of Maurice Ravel; 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 pianist Danilo Pérez and bassist 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," he said. "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."
