(Contemporary Jazz, Post-Bop) Johnathan Blake (feat. Mark Turner, Jaleel Shaw, Kevin Hays, Robert Glasper, Tom Harrell, etc) - The Eleventh Hour - 2012, WEB, FLAC (tracks), lossless

A professional jazz musician’s life is a busy life. Traveling from country to country and performing nightly with a multitude of different groups takes up a large amount of time and energy. It isn’t easy for one to pursue his or her own musical projects or develop an ensemble. Rarely does a musician stick with a project long enough to create something extremely special. Johnathan Blake is an exception to the rule.
Drummer/composer Blake has been an integral part of the working groups of Tom Harrell, David Sanchez, Russell Malone and Kenny Barron for many years. He is also a tremendously talented composer and bandleader. His debut album The Eleventh Hour (Sunnyside) will be a new landmark on the road Blake has taken with his long running ensemble.
Though he is extremely active as a sideman, Blake has made a concerted effort to create an ensemble. Most importantly, an ensemble with a sound. Though it seems an obvious goal, it really is a lofty target in a world of one-nighters and pick up bands. Blake was able to accomplish this by enlisting a true murderer’s row of jazz heavy hitters, friends and longtime collaborators, including saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Mark Turner and bassist Ben Street along with the band’s latest addition, pianist Kevin Hays.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Blake is the son of jazz violinist John Blake and carries on the family tradition of great music making. He was also blessed to be a part of a vibrant young generation of musicians that has continued to forge their paths together. Blake and saxophonist Jaleel Shaw are longtime friends and accomplices. Mark Turner and Ben Street have been important collaborators since Blake’s earliest years in New York, especially during his association with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. Blake has certainly created a group with deep musical roots.
The disc begins with the title track, a sly Robert Glasper played Rhodes is accented by the nimble horns and harmonica accents from guest Grégoire Maret, echoing the late ‘60s work of Herbie Hancock. “Rio’s Dream” begins with a tumultuous A section of changing time signatures representing a nightmare only to be calmed by an open groove, reassuring the anguished dreamer. Tom Harrell’s under-recorded gem “Blue News” is lovingly reworked and features the composer as a special guest.
Randy Newman wrote “Dexter’s Tune” for the 1990 film Awakenings and is featured in a scene that Blake found particularly moving. Blake adapts the tune from chord changes that were given to him on a napkin by the late piano master Kenny Kirkland. “Time to Kill” is an older piece that Blake was able to write when he actually had some time to kill. The driving piece showcases Shaw’s vibrant alto alongside Harrell’s poised trumpet and Glasper’s driving piano. “Of Things to Come” is a smoking piece with a melody built on 4ths.
The very open and dancing “Freefall” was named after an audience member misheard Blake and thought he said the title was “Newton” rather than, “This is a new tune.” With Sir Isaac Newton in mind, she had interpreted the song as a “free fall.” The name stuck and seems very appropriate. “No Left Turn” was based on a serial music 12-tone row that John Coltrane had used on “Mile’s Mode,” a song that Blake loves. The composition was written as part of a project assigned by Rutgers jazz department head Stanley Cowell. The tricky tune includes a fantastic turn by guest saxophonist Tim Warfield as he navigates the ever-changing rhythmic path.
The tune “Clues” is a new take on “Evidence,” actually it uses Thelonious Monk’s classic melody just backwards and upside down (with some changes to make it work). Blake had wanted to use “Evidence” and really make it his own. The closing tune is by another great pianist/composer but of the current generation. “Canvas” is a tune by Robert Glasper that Blake had always wanted to record. Blake has always envisioned children’s voices on the tune and uses samples of his own children as an introduction. Maret plays the haunting melody beautifully.
After such a productive career, many will think that it was about time Blake released an album. The Eleventh Hour proves that not rushing and taking the time to let a band gel and develop has been extremely worthwhile, as this is as impressive a debut as there has been seen in some time.

While the most popular jazz musician around at the moment might be Robert Glasper, I wanted to discuss another musician who is utilizing the urban landscape as part of his journey in transforming the view of jazz.
I first came across Jonathan Blake on a couple albums by Japanese American soul singer, Monday Michiru (who you really need to check out as well). He has also worked with a number of jazz artists including Tom Harrell, Russell Malone, Kenny Barron and Oliver Lake. From all of these and more sessions, his playing has expanded with a gentle, soulful tone that can turn fierce at the blink of an eye.
It's amazing that its taken over 15 years to emerge with this debut, The Eleventh Hour. But it is an impressive debut that was worth the wait. Blake's diversity has shown an array of musicians that sit in on this session (including the aforementioned Glasper). The title track opens the album with a soulful, almost acid jazz vibe. Glasper's fender rhodes adds that funky psychedelia to this fine throwback piece. Blake's beats are infectious and well matched by deep reaching tones from the always focused Hays, Shaw and the incomparable, Mark Turner.
"Rio's Dream" is more understated and romantic. A midtempo ballad where Blake's performance is subtle, he allows Hays to perform a rhythmic stance in guiding the group. Shaw and Turner are in solid conversation and provide a dynamic that is of the highest order.
"Of Things To Come" is a fast paced hard bop number in which Blake's rapid fire precision is essential. His writing also allows rest of the group an opportunity to fly; like street sounds, almost beatnik in some of the plucking. Shaw and Turner sound so in tune with each other that you wonder why they don't record together more often.
"Canvas" is an optimal closing number that brings the outing back into soulful focus. A soft bluesy ballad that has some free flowing element to it is also highlighted by Gregoire Maret and Robert Glasper's emotional yet abstracting constructions. A solid closing argument.
With The Eleventh Hour, Jonathan Blake has created a document that is moving, melodic, diverse and soulful. It's an album that should garner the same praise Glasper's effort in re-imagining the popular scene of American jazz. Highly Recommended.

Good things come to those who wait. While you have to wait roughly a month for the release date, don't feel bad as Johnathan Blake waited well over two years to see this project come to light. Long story short, the wait for The Eleventh Hour is indeed time well spent.
The eleventh hour is a colloquial expression meaning "a time which is nearly too late".
Better late than never!
Blake is perhaps best known as the drummer for the Tom Harrell Quintet, arguably one of the finest quintets in the bop and post bop era of jazz. The musical resume of Blake extends to other musicians including David Sanchez, Russell Malone and the great Kenny Barron. For the uninitiated, Blake plays with the finesse of Paul Motian, the rhythmic feel of a Max Roach and the intensity of a Philly Jo Jones. Far more than a rhythmic timekeeper, Blake is a prolific instrumentalist and composer that captures a unique sound for this release with an all star cast including Jaleel Shaw, Ben Street, Robert Glasper, Tim Warfield and a special cameo from the incomparable Tom Harrell.
There is a retro yet subtle contemporary feel to this release, something warm and familiar yet fresh with vitality. Opening with "The Eleventh Hour" there is the old school rhodes sound played by Robert Glasper which is punctuated with horns, harmonica and the intricate subtleties of Blake's work in the pocket. The over looked composition from Tom Harrell "Blue News" features the man that blows more horn than anyone while Blake swings hard and here lies the secret to this magnificent recording. The Eleventh Hour is not a self indulgent "bash fest" typical of some drummers but instead the sound of the collective ensemble along with stellar arrangements pushing the music front and center allowing each artist a time to shine.
Two of the best tunes ( there are no bad tunes here ) include Blake's "Time to Kill" which is a lyrical gem featuring the wonderful Jaleel Shaw on alto saxophone. A keen harmonic development and a definite lyrical sense of purpose drive this tune to a level some players work decades to achieve. The second tune to jump out is the smoker "Of Things to Come" where Blake again swings like a beast but remains the glue binding this stellar ensemble together.
Johnathan Blake is one of the many reasons that I shy away from the technical review. A 12-tone row and a melody that is kicked up a notch and built on 4ths is essentially meaningless to anyone other than a seasoned musician. The bottom line is that with The Eleventh Hour, Johnathan Blake makes a dramatic musical statement as a performer and especially as a composer having written seven of the ten tunes on this release. Blake swings hard and firmly establishes himself in the upper eschelon of drummers working today. Johnathan Blake looks past the music to the sound of where post bop jazz is heading and creates a release of tremendous depth and lyrical character.
5 stars!

Some debut recordings encapsulate all of an aspiring artist's diverse interests; others are less ambitious, and merely document a particular ensemble or performance. The Eleventh Hour, an expansive tour de force by rising drummer Jonathan Blake, is a prime example of the former. Blake's successful merger of styles should come as no surprise; in addition to sideman gigs for Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell and the Mingus Big Band, he is the son of violinist John Blake—his roots run deep.
Part of the success of The Eleventh Hour can be attributed to Blake's considered balance between the stalwart contributions of his working group and a handful of all-star guest appearances. Blake's quintet features tight-knit personnel; tenor saxophonist Mark Turner and altoist Jaleel Shaw make an intrepid frontline, while pianist Kevin Hays and bassist Ben Street round out the energetic rhythm section. Their high profile company includes Harrell, Robert Glasper, Grégoire Maret and Tim Warfield, whose distinctive contributions enhance, rather than overshadow, the band's capable efforts.
The retro title track demonstrates the validity of Blake's collaborative ideas, drawing from a liberal jazz tradition that offers insight into his all-inclusive aesthetic. Reminiscent of Herbie Hancock's mid-1960s experiments, the groovy opener pits Maret's sinuous harmonica against Glasper's shimmering Rhodes, generating a kaleidoscopic array of tone colors that evoke a soulful hybrid of Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder.
Framed by memorable melodies, tuneful swingers like the stately "Rio's Dream" and lyrical "Time To Kill" are indicative of the record's scope, their elastic rhythmic and harmonic foundations providing ample freedom for probing individual statements. The tortuous intervals and shifting time signatures of the blistering piano-less quartet number "Of Things To Come" raises the energy level, while the evocative "Freefall" ventures into more abstract territory.
Blake revamps convention on the labyrinthine "No Left Turn" and funky "Clues." The former composition features a riveting tenor relay between Turner and Warfield, who navigate the same serial 12 tone row as Coltrane's "Mile's Mode." The later piece inverts Monk's "Evidence," yielding a quixotic theme both familiar and alien.
Though the majority of the date is comprised of originals, a handful of tastefully rendered covers illuminate the leader's expressive range. In addition to a sensitive interpretation of Randy Newman's ballad "Dexter's Tune" and a buoyant version of Harrell's "Blue News," a lush reworking of Glasper's pop-savvy "Canvas" concludes the session much as it began—highlighting the spirited rapport between Maret and Glasper.
Beyond his abilities as a composer and bandleader, Blake is an authoritative and incisive drummer whose infectious energy galvanizes his sidemen, without overpowering the proceedings. His exhilarating contributions reinforce the clarity and cohesiveness of The Eleventh Hour, a most compelling debut. ~ Troy Collins