Alex Blake

Alex Blake, born Alejandro Blake Fearon Jr. on December 21, 1951 in Panama, is a distinguished jazz bassist whose career spans over five decades, encompassing pivotal roles as a double‑bass and electric‑bass virtuoso in the avant‑garde, fusion, and mainstream jazz scenes. He moved to the United States at age seven and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where early exposure to the vibrant local music community shaped his improvisational sensibility. Blake’s professional breakthrough arrived when he joined Sun Ra’s experimental Arkestra in the early 1970s, contributing to groundbreaking recordings such as It’s After the End of the World and My Brother the Wind Vol II, which cemented his reputation as a flexible and adventurous player. Throughout the late 1970s he became a key proponent of the fusion movement, collaborating with legendary drummers Lenny White and Billy Cobham on albums that blended jazz idioms with rock energy, and his work on Cobham’s Total Eclipse and Shabazz remains highly regarded. In addition to his sideman work, Blake has led his own ensembles, most notably captured on the 2000 live compilation Now Is the Time: Live at the Knitting Factory, featuring luminaries such as Pharoah Sanders, John Hicks, and Neil Clarke, demonstrating his skill as a bandleader and composer. His discography as a leader includes the early Denon release Especially for You (1979), a testament to his melodic approach to the bass. Blake’s versatility is further illustrated by extensive collaborations with artists ranging from Randy Weston, with whom he recorded landmark albums like African Sunrise and Khepera, to pop figures such as Jimmy Buffett. He has also contributed to recordings by The Manhattan Transfer, Stan Getz, and Yusef Lateef, evidencing a rare ability to adapt to diverse musical contexts. Even after more than half a century of activity, Blake continues to perform, teach, and inspire new generations, maintaining a presence on the contemporary jazz circuit and preserving his legacy as one of the most resilient and innovative bassists of his generation.