January 30th, 2009 by groundswell

If you wish to be  part of the “Mama Rosa” Presale Event then you should sign up on Brian’s mailing list!

January 30th, 2009 by groundswell

Looks like the Fellowship is going to be playing a string of shows in Hollywood.

Let’s hope we can get more Fellowship shows for ‘09!

January 28th, 2009 by groundswell

From brianblade.com

“I remember when i first read the words hanging in a frame on my grandma rosa’s wall. The serenity prayer was something i couldn’t understand until almost thirty years later, but now after experiencing some peaks and valleys of life, those words ring in my ears with clarity.”  

          Brian Blade has set those words to music for his first recording as a singer, guitarist and songwriter entitled, Mama Rosa. A revealing journey through thirteen songs about family, loved ones, travels and a sense that these things that shape and inspire us have to be shared with others to complete a circle.

He has been writing and recording material with words for as long as he’s been making music.  In fact, Mama Rosa grew naturally from the four-track home demos that he’s recorded over the years and several of the original performances from those tapes can be heard on this album. Initially, Blade felt that these songs would never be heard by anyone else, but after encouragement from long time friend, Daniel Lanois, these home recordings became the cornerstones for the album.  There is an initial spark close to the moment of inspiration and that intimate vibe is felt throughout Mama Rosa .

          “For some time now, these songs have existed in the solitude of my room, and I got a lot of joy and satisfaction from just knowing that they existed,” Blade says.  “But at a certain point I questioned whether it was fear or selfishness that kept me quiet. Facing the music and the mirror, i began to ask if this was the end of the process? What does God expect of me? Maybe someone else might find some inspiration in the songs.”

           The lyrical themes of home, memories and loved ones and how they shape who we are, are reflected in Blade naming the album after his grandmother, who’s the subject of the album’s vivid opening track “After the Revival.” Sung from the perspective of his mother, Dorothy Blade, expecting the birth of her first son, Brian’s older brother, Brady, Jr. “After the Revival” also alludes to Blade’s early years at the Zion Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his father is pastor, and where Brian first started singing and playing the drums.

           The multi-talented young veteran is already widely respected in the jazz world as drummer/composer/leader of Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, with whom he has released three albums during it’s decade of existence. He is also known as the drummer with many heroes of the music world, including Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Wayne Shorter, Seal, Bill Frisell and Emmylou Harris.

           Blade is a always searching for the balance that gives a song a personal story with an outward reaching resonance. One such song of memories is entitled, “Second Home”. A tribute to his teacher, John Vidacovich, and the city of New Orleans where Brian met Fellowship Band mates Jon Cowherd and Chris Thomas. He lived in the crescent city for seven years while studying with musical masters Ellis Marsalis, David Lee, Jr. Bill Huntington, Mike Pellera, George French, Germaine Bazzle, Steve Masakowski and John Mahoney.

           Mama Rosa marks 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,” says Blade, “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.” 

           Mama Rosa’s organic musical palette showcases Blade’s diverse talents on acoustic guitar, as well as drums and one of the people who has inspired Blade for many years now, longtime friend and music maker champion, Daniel Lanois. Daniel is the featured soloist on Mama Rosa, offering perfectly formed and spiritually elevating Firebird guitar improvisations on the songs “At the Centerline”, “Mercy Angel”, “All That Was Yesterday” and “Her Song”. Along with guitarist Goffrey Moore, steel guitar virtuoso, Greg Leisz, bassist Jenny lee Lindberg (Warpaint ) and singer/songwriters Aaron Embry (Amnion), John Bigham (The Soul of John Black), Rocco Deluca and Daryl Johnson, The Fellowship Band members Jon Cowherd, Chris Thomas and Kurt Rosenwinkel all serve the songs briliantly and a deep sense of brotherhood echoes throughout  the entire recording. Kelly Jones, a truly gifted songstress,  blends beautifully with Blade on “Mercy Angel” and “Get There” and hearing them together brings to mind the inspiration and long history of touching duos, including Fred and Annie Mae Macdowell, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack and Sullivan and Iola Pugh (The Consolers). In addition to Blade’s original compositions, the album features a memorable adaptation of Brazilian music icon Milton Nascimento’s “Faithful Brother,” as well as the pair of atmospheric instrumentals, “All Gospel Radio” and “Psalm 100,” that end the album on an appropriately haunting note.

          “I hope that people will find some personal joy in these songs from Mama Rosa. The real challenge is to be honest with myself and to let more of who we are be seen and heard as the songs reveal themselves.”

Brian Blade Mama Rosa [B0012613-02] available April 21, 2009

More info:

There are 13 new tracks:

1. After The Revival
2. Mercy Angel
3. At The Centerline
4. Faithful Brother (a Milton Nasciemento cover)
5. Get There
6. Second Home
7. You’ll Always Be My Baby
8. Nature’s Law
9. Struggling WIth That
10. All That Was Yesterday
11. Her Song
12. All Gospel Radio (co-written with Adam Samuels
13. Psalms 100 (written with Adam Samuels and Tucker Martine)

CREDITS:

Brian Blade: Lead vocals and guitar (1-12); piano (2,5,7,11,13); drums (2, 3, 5, 7, 9-11)
Daniel Lanois: guitar solos (2,3,7,10,11); bass (2,5); pedal steel (7); harmony vocal (11)
Geoffrey Moore: guitar (1, 3, 4)
Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar (4)
Greg Leisz: Pedal steel (6); lap steel and Weissenborn (9)
Patrick Smith: pedal steel (11)
Jon Cowheard: piano (3, 4); pump organ (3)
Aaron Embry piano (11)
Chris Thomas: bass (1,3,4,6)
Jenny Lee Lindberg: Bass (9)
Dave Coleman: MXR Operator
Adam Samuels: processing (12, 13)
Tucker Martine: processing (13)
Kelly Jones: Harmony vocal (2,5,10)
Daryl Johnson: harmony vocal (7, 11)
Silverlake Male Chorus–John Bingham, Daryl Johnson, Aaron Embry, Rocco DeLuca (3)

January 26th, 2009 by groundswell

David Binney has just released a new CD featuring Brian.

You can read more about it here.

January 26th, 2009 by groundswell

Read Greg Haymes view of Friday’s show in Albany.

January 26th, 2009 by groundswell

There are two live recordings that Brian is apart of that you need to check out.

First is the NPR recording of the 2nd set (previously they had only the first set) at the Village Vanguard from last June.

Check this out quick, because it may not be up much longer.

The second clip is the CBC’s recording of Daniel Lanois show at Massey Hall this fall.  For this concert, Daniel will be joined by Brian Blade on drums, Marcus Blake on bass and Jim Wilson on guitar.

This show is only being broadcasted today, so get there!!

January 24th, 2009 by groundswell

Thanks to Bob Young from the Boston Herald for this enthusiastic review of the Berklee Show.

January 23rd, 2009 by groundswell

Check out the rolling thunder on this clip!

“Barracudas (General Assembly) from Wayne Shorter’s terrific album “Et Cetera”

January 22nd, 2009 by groundswell

NPR has just posted a track titled “Mercy Angel” from his new solo recording called “Mama Rosa”.

From NPR’s site:

“We all know Brian Blade as a great drummer and composer with his Fellowship Band. However, on Blade’s new album — arriving in spring, 2009 — he wrote all the songs, plays guitar and sings. After playing with people from Joni Mitchell to Wayne Shorter, Daniel Lanois, Bob Dylan, Pat Metheny and Seal, Blade’s vision as an artist with no boundaries will become evident in the new recording Mama Rosa, andJazzSet has a preview.”

You’ve got to check it out.

January 21st, 2009 by groundswell

Read Nate Chinen of the NY Time’s review of the exciting “Double Trio” show last night.  If you are in the NYC area, get over and catch them again tonight!