Johnathan Blake’s résumé reads like a jazz fan’s dream: Kenny Barron, Pharoah Sanders, Tom Harrell, Bill Frisell, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. His playing combines the drive and precision those musicians demand with a warmth that makes even his most adventurous music inviting. Raised in Philadelphia, Blake draws on the city’s rich traditions of jazz, soul, R&B, and hip-hop, bringing a wide range of influences to his sound.

He’s also an accomplished composer and bandleader, recognized with an ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award and recording his own music for Blue Note Records. His albums have brought together remarkable musicians including Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, and Dezron Douglas. For Boise audiences, this is a chance to hear a musician who has helped shape the sound of some of jazz’s finest bands—and has plenty of his own to say.

Tickets available at https://boisejazzsociety.ludus.com/index.php