Dance of the Mystic Bliss

by Michael Blake

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Robert Middleton Michael Blake has been releasing wonderful jazz albums for more than 25 years. This newest release is absolutely stunning. The instrumentation with the four string instruments adds a whole new dimension. The tunes are all compelling, and the sound is blissful. One of my very favorite jazz albums of 2023.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
We've less than 200 of these beautiful LPs left.

Includes unlimited streaming of Dance of the Mystic Bliss via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Lovely gatefold cover including the digital bonus tracks; "The Meadows" and "Weeds"

Includes unlimited streaming of Dance of the Mystic Bliss via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Merle the Pearl 03:50 video	info	buy track
2.	Le Coeur du Jardin (The Heart of the Garden) 05:38	info
3.	Little Demons 06:38	info
4.	Love Finally Arrives 06:24	info
5.	Topanga Burns 04:07	info
6.	Sagra 05:06	info
7.	Prune Pluck Pangloss 07:56	info
8.	Cleopatra 03:50	info

about

This mesmerizing new album features Michael Blake's saxophones and flute immersed in a vibrant musical universe of his own making. Bringing to mind palm trees growing out of the frozen tundra. Blake calls the project Chroma Nova which includes a small string section (Skye Steele, Chris Hoffman, Michael Bates) and electric guitar (Guilherme Monteiro) whose sharp edges contrast beautifully with the dense yet delicate percussion work of Mauro Refosco and Rogerio Boccato.

"Dance of the Mystic Bliss" is the result of years of effort; created and recorded during the global pandemic in 2020. Some of the music reflects the grief Blake experienced processing the death of his mother Merle in 2018 and the ensuing political and public health crisis of 2020. But other pieces are full of heart bursting optimism, representing the artists unrelenting pursuit to evolve. On Dance of the Mystic Bliss, Blake proves once again that he is a formidable saxophonist with a lot to say.

Liner Notes
Dance of the Mystic Bliss is dedicated to Merle Blake: dancer, singer, gardener, and cat lover. After my Mum passed away in 2018, I felt a complete collapse in ambition to release new music. A short time later, as the world reeled from the global pandemic, I was fortunate to have a distraction and I conceived of and recorded this album.

The title Dance of the Mystic Bliss comes from the Martin Scorsese film adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel The Age of Innocence. This music is most definitely about the loss of people and places I’ve cherished that are no more. However, the experience I had composing and recording the music was far from melancholy and I do feel there’s a lot of joy within the world we have documented on this album. I hope that listeners will create their own worlds and that the music will take them wherever they imagine.

credits

released May 26, 2023

Michael Blake - tenor and soprano saxophone, flute and alto flute
Guilherme Monteiro - electric guitar
Mauro Refosco - percussion and marimba
Rogerio Boccato - percussion
Skye Steele - violin, rabeca, gonji
Chris Hoffman - cello
Michael Bates - bass

Engineered by Jake Owen
Mixed by Scott Harding
Mastered by Chris Gestrin
Cover Photo: Marc Santos Photography
Produced by Michael Blake
All compositions composed and arranged by Michael Blake SESAC (Baby Tank Music)
Percussion arrangements by Mauro Refosco, Rogerio Boccato and Michael Blake

Thanks
I would like to thank my wife Annette for her love and support, my brother Paul for helping see this album through and Roland for his ears and input. Thank you dear Iris, Scott "Scotty Hard" Harding, Elizabeth Yilmaz-Dobrow, Jake Owen, Chris Gestrin, Jerry Granelli, Erik Friedlander and THE BAND! Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts for their contribution in the creation and production of this album.

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about

Michael Blake New York, New York

The Canadian born tenor and soprano saxophonist Michael Blake has been a mainstay in the New York scene for over 30 years and has put out over a dozen albums under his name. Among the many artists he has performed with are The Lounge Lizards, Steven Bernstein, Charlie Hunter and Ben Allison. ... more

michaelblake.net

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