In addition to his work as part of Wayne Shorter's late-period quartet, this drummer has an original voice as a bandleader. Often blending a range of folk and roots textures into his brand of swing, the albums released by the Brian Blade Fellowship ensemble feature a rotating cast of guitarists (with steel guitar gracing the group's self-titled debut, and contemporary jazz ace Kurt Rosenwinkel contributing to Perceptual). On his own instrument, Blade is a master of shading and slowly amassing tumult, a strategy that has helped Shorter find new life in tunes as old as “Masquelero.”