Born in England and raised in Canada, Blake was first asked to record at age 21 with drummer Victor Lewis. After graduation from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Blake moved to New York and established himself on the jazz scene. Now 28, Blake has performed and recorded with numerous well-known ensembles including the Bloomdaddies., the Victor Lewis Quintet, the Mingus Big Band and John Scofield's Quiet Band. Live in Time as a member of the Mingus Big Band and his own album, Stranger Things Have Happened, due for release this fall. The School of Music presents The Laurendale Duo, at 8 p.m. Oct. 14 in Kimball Recital Hall.
Admission is free.
Composed of Dale Clark, bassoon, and Lauren Schack Clark, piano, The Laurendale Duo will perform works by Olivio Di Domenico, Ludwig van Beethoven, Alexandre Tansman, Romeo Cascarino, Antonio Vivaldi and Gabriel Pierne. Dale Clark, assistant professor of bassoon at the University of Memphis, has played throughout the United States and in Europe with such groups as the Boston Lyric Opera, Berlin Camerata Vocale, New Bedford Symphony, Granite State Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Chattanooga Ballet and Memphis Symphony. He has performed as a solo and chamber musician in many venues including Boston, Wurzburg, Germany, and the Massenet Villa in France. Clark has taught at Atlantic Union College, Boston Conservatory, and the University of Massachusetts-Boston. His principal teachers include Ed Knob, Keith McClelland, Gary Echols and Matthew Ruggiero.