Dan Blake

Dan Blake

Dan Blake is a jazz saxophonist and composer associated with creative music in Boston, New York and Brooklyn. He studies at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music as a double-degree student, where he begins to focus seriously on composition during his third year. At that point he studies with John McDonald and Steve Lacy.

Composition and performance

Blake develops a career as a performing saxophonist while also producing premieres of his own compositions. His work spans improvised and notated music, as well as acoustic and electronic approaches. He has numerous premieres during his time at Tufts and later as a working musician in Boston and New York.

Projects and organisations

He helps found several influential organisations in the Boston area. He also founds and leads a weekly workshop for two years, dedicated to developing and promoting creative music.

Recording and recognition

His debut recording, The Party Suite, attracts significant attention in the jazz press. In 2006, he receives ASCAP’s Young Composer’s Award for that recording.

Later study

After moving to Brooklyn in August 2006, Blake continues composition study at the Conservatory at Brooklyn College under Tania León, and he also serves as an adjunct lecturer in music theory.