Brian Blade

Born in 1970, jazz drummer Brian Blade grew up in Shreveport, La., then in New Orleans, where he came up under the region's powerful neo-traditionalists such as Ellis Marsalis and New Orleans Dixie-drum masters Johnny Vidacovich and Herlin Riley. Blades made his first appearances as a sideman to the so-called "young lions," a crew that included Josh Redman and Brad Mehldau. He caught the attention of producer Daniel Lanois, who has used Blade frequently as a session musician and produced Blade's first efforts as a bandleader with his group the Fellowship. A constantly genre-hopping stylist, his credits include work with Joni Mitchell, Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris and Bob Dylan.