Canadian-born, New York-based saxophonist Michael Blake is a distinctive presence on the modern creative jazz scene whose style bridges avant-garde, post-bop, and global traditions. A member of N.Y.C.'s groundbreaking the Lounge Lizards ensemble, Blake emerged in the 1990s and has played with a variety of eclectic artists, including Steven Bernstein, Ben Allison, Charlie Hunter, Stereo MC's, Michael Leonhart, and Erik Friedlander, among others. His own albums have showcased his broad, globally minded perspective. He explored Vietnamese traditions on 1991's Kingdom of Champa and has built upon the work of artists like Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane on albums like 2005's Right Before Your Very Ears, 2012's In the Grand Scheme of Things, and 2023's folk- and Afro-Brazilian-influenced Dance of the Mystic Bliss.