Jazz i Kuben: Johnathan Blake

Johnathan Blake is one of today's most accomplished drummers and a versatile musician and bandleader. The son of jazz violinist John Blake Jr., he began playing drums at age 10. Deeply rooted in Philadelphia's history as a central hub of American music, Blake has immersed himself in the city's legacy - not only jazz but also soul, R&B, and hip-hop. He has collaborated with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, and Avishai Cohen, among others, and has been hailed by NPR Music as "the ultimate modernist".

Blake has frequently appeared on Blue Note Records, bringing his powerful, fluid pulse and airy precision to albums by artists such as Dr. Lonnie Smith and Kenny Barron, while also working with Q-Tip and Maria Schneider. His latest solo album, My Life Matters (Blue Note 2025), is a musical suite about speaking up when witnessing injustice - commissioned by Jazz Gallery in New York City.

The band Pentad is a quintet whose expression moves between time and space. "The name represents us as five individuals united by a common purpose: to create the most honest music possible," says Blake, who assembled the band with the intention of composing fuller and more explicit harmonies than in previous projects.

In collaboration with Jazz i Malmö.