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Artist
Michael Blake
12+ albums
saxophonejazzfree jazzinstrumentalsax
about
Michael Blake (born 1951 in Cape Town) is a South African contemporary classical music composer. The composer studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and lectured at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He returned to South Africa in 1998 and settled in Grahamstown where he teaches composition and is director of the annual contemporary music festival, New Music Indaba. At the 1999 meeting of the International Society for Contemporary Music held in Bucharest, Blake made a successful bid for South Africa’s re-entry into the ISCM after an absence of nearly four decades. He was the founding President of the ISCM South African Section, NewMusicSA and continues to serve as a board member.NewMusicSA: The International Society for Contemporary Music, South African Section His music, based on 20th-century music, is also influenced by African music. Born: May 19, 1964 in Montreal, Canada Saxophonist, composer and arranger Michael Blake has established his presence in the jazz world, while his work gracefully erases the borders between different areas of music. Highlights of 2008 include a special guest appearance on Ben Allison’s Man Size Safe and performances with Blake Tartare at the Rochester, Vancouver and Copenhagen jazz festivals. Michael’s new band Hellbent recently played at Milano’s esteemed Mito Festival. His soprano sax work was recognized in the 2008 Downbeat Reader’s Poll. Michael’s two latest CD's Amor de Cosmos (Songlines), starring
