Jazz with local legends

Dan Blake, sax
Bryan Copeland, bass
Bob Meyer, drums

Multi-instrumentalist Dan Blake has led a wide-ranging career as a composer, performer and educator that “regards tradition as a welcoming playground best approached with a sense of wonder and adventure” (The Boston Globe). He was dubbed a “virtuoso” by The New York Times for his work touring and recording both with his own projects and with luminaries of jazz and popular music like Grammy-winners Esperanza Spalding, Leo Genovese, NEA Jazz Master Anthony Braxton, and many others. For his most recent project Got My Wings (Ahyaropa Records, 2025) he was named a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow. In addition to his performing and composing career, Dan Blake is Assistant Professor of Music at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

Bassist/composer/bandleader Bryan Copeland began studying the bass with world renowned classical bassist Satoshi Okamoto (New York Philharmonic), and has continued his studies with Larry Grenadier, Erik Revis, Drew Gress, and Harvie S. He received his bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies from Texas State University under the tutelage of Dr. James Polk. Copeland has spent time in the studio recording with Jon Brion, David Binney, Radney Foster, Andre Heyword, and Aben Eubanks (Kelly Clarkson). His performance credits include David "Fathead" Newman, Roy Hargrove, Tim Warfield, Marcus Belgrave, Aaron Parks, Ben Monder, Clarence Penn, Jon Cowherd, Linda May Han Oh, Rudy Royston, David Kikoski, George Colligan, Fabian Almazan, Kenny Wollesen, Billy Kilson, Dayna Stephens, Camila Meza, Charles Altura, Marcus Printup, Donald Edwards, drummer J.J. Johnson (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Nir Felder, Mike Moreno, Henry Cole, Adam Nussbaum, Steve Houghton, Luis Perdomo, Ephraim Owens (Mumford and Sons), Ernie Watts, Chris Dingman, Bill Watrous, Jamire Williams, and Frank Locrasto, Bob Meyer.  Mr. Copeland has toured the world and perform at legendary jazz festivals like The Montreux Jazz Festival, The North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz a Juan in Antibes, FR., The Vienne Jazz Festival, The Lion Jazz Festival, The NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and named outstanding soloist Addison Jazz Festival.

Drummer Bob Meyer: Born in 1945 in the New York metro area, Bob grew up in a musical family. He discovered jazz around 1950 and drums three years later. He has been playing professionally since 1961. Among those he has performed with are Mal Waldron, James Moody, Gary Peacock, Kirk Leitsey, Stanley Cowell, Diane Schuur, Art Davis, Andy Statman, Perry Robinson, Bert Wilson & Judi Silvano, Nina Sheldon, Ratzo Harris, Cameron Brown, Denman Maroney, John Hart, among many others. He has toured extensively with Joe Lovano & John Abercrombie. He is on Joe’s Blue Note CD, Viva Caruso. Jackalope, a band with John Abercrombie and Loren Stillman on “Saltier Then Ever” on Challenge Records. Other CDs include Steven Frieder’s debut, “After Time”, the band alt.timers, Crispr (2017) and Martingale (2020) ,  Judi Silvano’s Lessons Learned [The Zephyr Band] released in 2019, “The Long and the Short of It”, Snap Dragon, the Duo Improvisations of Travis Sullivan and Bob Meyer (2020). 2021 to the present; Presenting Circular Jazz Trio/ Quartet and Quintet with Steve Frieder and Dan Blake, saxes, Luke Franco, guitar and Bryan Copeland, bass Both groups feature the music of the late, great Bert Wilson. Bob has taught drums for over 40 years both privately and as an adjunct at The New School and Lehman College in NYC. He lives in Cortlandt Manor, NY, USA with his wife Jody.