One of the most impressive and versatile drummers to emerge during the past two decades, Brian Blade is constantly in demand, which accounts for his wide variety of musical experiences. Blade was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1970. Growing up, he mostly heard gospel music and R&B before discovering Miles Davis and John Coltrane. He first played drums in public at church, when he was 13. When he was 17, Blade went to Loyola College in New Orleans, staying in the Crescent City for seven years. Although an anthropology major, he constantly heard music and was inspired and tutored by Ellis Marsalis, Johnny Vidacovich and Herlin Riley. Blade gained attention in the jazz world for his work as a member of the Joshua Redman Quartet for five years and with Brad Mehldau. He has also recorded with Kenny Garrett, Dianne Reeves, Darrell Grant, Kenny Werner, the San Francisco Jazz Collective, Danilo Perez, Charlie Haden, Chris Potter, Marcus Printup, Bob Dylan (Time Out of Mind), Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell and Norah Jones. Blade has toured with Joshua Redman’s Elastic Band, the Wayne Shorter Quartet and Herbie Hancock’s Directions in Music group, which teamed him with Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove and John Patitucci. He also occasionally leads the Brian Blade Fellowship, a septet that recorded in 1998, 2000 and most recently for Verve.

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