Michael Blake is a creative saxophonist/composer whose work I have always tried to keep current with. I first heard this Canadian born musician’s work with bassist Ben Allison’s group back in Brooklyn in the late 2000’s when I saw the group perform the music from the great album Little Things Run the World. His work, along with all of this splendid musicianship of the group's other players, caught my attention. It’s been a musical cornucopia of creativity and enjoyment for me following their work since then.
Blake has been particularly productive with his own work, including his well received Dance of the Mystic Bliss from 2023, and this latest release Piccolos Before Rifles takes the listener into a world of music that brings a strong West African/Brazilian rhythmic element into the light. The group on this latest release is called Chroma Nova and a slightly different personnel was on the former album Dance of the Mystic Bliss. The New York-based, Vancouver, Canada born musician continues with three Brazilian masters on this album and their inherent rhythmic influences are a major factor as to how well this album feels and flows. Blake's inventive compositions in the hands of this group offer color, eloquence, vibrancy, passion and joy to the listener.
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| Michael Blake (unknown photo credit) |
I have been a long-time admirer of the drum and percussive work of Rogerio Boccato and previously seen him lend his deft artistry to numerous other established artists including John Patitucci, Billy Childs and Kenny Garrett. Bassist Gili Lopes and guitarist Monteiro, both Brazilian, are new to me. The Puerto Rican-American violinist Skye Soto Steele completes this ethnically diverse band and gives Blake’s music its own distinctive musical identity that should make listeners smile and dance to this offering. There are seven compositions, each with its own inspiration that gives the listener a back story to how the music relates to a real life experiences, tribute or an aspiration. In some respects this allows the listener to follow the compositional track from idea to construction to execution.
“Elephant Crush” is a energetic composition that Blake conceived
of as a visceral representation of what Blake and his brother once experienced, when the
earth shook beneath their feet as a herd of elephants stampeded toward them on a
Safari outing in Zambia. After a dynamic intro, the music emerges like a
clarion call to awareness to the pending danger with the band playing in beautiful synchronicity. Led by Monteiro’s drone-like guitar picking, Blake’s
sumptuous tenor, Gili Lopes palpitating bass lines and Boccato’s exquisite
percussive-driven pulse. Steele’s violin adds a distinctly edgy accent as a
counterpoint to Blake’s liquid saxophone lead. The electricity the music generates it has a distinctive West
African flavor that is infectious and makes you move to it. You either avoid the pending danger or just get out of the way. Blake’s saxophone
work is exploratory as he raises the temperature in counterpoint to the probing rhythm before the group comes to an abrupt coda.
“Temples” is a slower paced composition that has a Middle
Eastern meets Americana vibe to it. Blake and Monteiro interweave their instrumental
tones and ideas in a beautiful exchange that is quite expressive and fluid. Steele’s
plaintive violin adds another element to this musical tapestry. There is calm courage
to this music that is quite eloquent, to be savored.
Any saxophonist worth his mettle will find Stan
Getz worthy of studying. “Stone Cold Stan” becomes Blake’s tribute to the master
of superb tone. The energetic pace is anchored by the ostinato bass lines of
Lopes and Boccato’s rhythmic creativity. The theme is stated in precise unison by
the guitar, violin and soprano saxophone, a little reminiscent to me of the first Mahavishnu band's type of interplay, albeit lighter, but nonetheless impressive. It shifts rhythmically and Steele’s urgent
violin solo dances like an ecstatic dervish before Blake’s airy soprano enters
the mix, sinewy, slithery and snake-charming-like hypnotic. A hybrid song that seems to cross over into fusion territory.
The title track, “Piccolos Before Rifles,” is Blake’s take
on how music, played in the form of a military band, is used to introduce a formation of marching soldiers. Music is usually considered as a vehicle to
promote peace and love, so the fact that has often been used as a tool for the proliferation
of war couldn’t be more ironic. The opening features a slow duo of Monteiro’s
guitar and Lopes’ bass. Boccato introduces a cadenced drum line over which
Blake’s noir-inspired tenor appears just taking you to another place. Steele’s light violin
lines mix with Blake's horn in a sympathetic delightful unison before Lopes bass is featured
on a probing solo. Blake’s tenor comes
out front with another exploratory solo, slowly building up the tension before
allowing the music to slow and simmer to the finish.
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| Michael Blake and Chroma Nova (photo credit unknown) |
If you like Western African/Brazilian inflected groove “Mauritania” is the answer. The music is breezy and bluesy, and you feel how the love of dance inspires this music. Held together by this stellar Brazilian rhythm section of Monteiro, Gili and Boccato, the music floats into the atmosphere like a free bird via Blake’s airy flute work. Steele’s violin adds another color and Monteiro’s guitar tops off this one with his gentle fretwork. Sit back, turn this up and grab a tropical drink and you’ll experience the West African Saharan sun of Mauritania.
“Lift Off” opens with some percussive accents by Boccato
before Gili’s bass and Monteiro’s guitar strumming is joined by Blake’s propulsive
tenor. The band builds up the tension in stages, the music grows more excitable,
more intense as they ignite in preparation of Lift Off. This is the only cut on
the album that doesn’t include Steele’s violin contribution.
The final composition is “Black Taj”, a song inspired by a
trip made by Blake to India and a tale that accounts for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the
Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife. The emperor
supposedly wanted to also erect a Black Taj, a mirror image to the first White structure
only in Black across the river. Since the Black Taj was never constructed, we
must assume that the song must somehow relate to the feelings that come from having
a driving ambition that never comes to fruition. The music opens with Blake's deep-toned alto flute, another added color to this tapestry of sounds. Lopes adds some bass lines in conversation with Blake's beautiful flute work. Steele's violin lays down a drone-like backdrop on top of Boccato's whirling drum work and Montiero's inventive guitar explorations. The group slowly brings the pace to a fading conclusion as Blake's flute flutters to breathlessness. Just beautiful.
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