On September 19, drummer-composer Johnathan Blake will release My Life Matters, a stirring new Blue Note album that blends the personal with the political. Conceived as a commission for The Jazz Gallery, the suite is both a tribute to Blake’s family values and a searing response to systemic injustice.
Co-produced by bassist Derrick Hodge—an acclaimed artist and labelmate known for his work with Robert Glasper—the album showcases a stellar ensemble: saxophonist Dayna Stephens, pianist Fabian Almazan, vibraphonist Jalen Baker, bassist Dezron Douglas, with special guests DJ Jahi Sundance and vocalist Bilal.
Music as Testimony
The music took shape during a time of social upheaval, when Blake found himself deeply affected by the relentless news cycle.
“Every other day, it seemed like another Black or Brown person was being taken from us at the hands of those who were supposed to protect us,” Blake recalls. “I didn’t want to become numb. I wanted to speak up through my music.”
His conviction echoes the lessons instilled by his parents. “They always told me, if you see injustice happening and you do nothing, you’re just as much the problem.” That wisdom forms the emotional backbone of My Life Matters.
The Shape of the Suite
The album unfolds across 14 original compositions, many titled by Rio Sakairi, Artistic Director of The Jazz Gallery, who immediately grasped the spirit of Blake’s work. The suite balances contrasts—tragedy and hope, present reality and future possibility—while drawing strength from community and resilience.
The lead track, “Last Breath,” is dedicated to Eric Garner, whose dying words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry of the Black Lives Matter movement. Opening with Baker’s commanding vibraphone before building into waves of sound led by Stephens’ EWI and Almazan’s piano, the piece captures both anguish and urgency.
While Blake insists he did not set out to make a protest album, he acknowledges the tradition of socially conscious jazz, citing Max Roach’s We Insist! Freedom Now Suite as a guiding star. “Those musicians set the bar very high,” Blake says. “If we’re not following their lead, then we’re doing them a disservice.”
Beyond the New Album
My Life Matters follows Blake’s acclaimed 2021 Blue Note debut, Homeward Bound, which will receive its first-ever vinyl release on December 5 as part of the Tone Poet Vinyl Series. That earlier record was a celebration of life and legacy with his quintet Pentad, featuring Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, David Virelles, and Dezron Douglas.
Together, Homeward Bound and My Life Matters illustrate Blake’s dual vision: music as a celebration of family, and music as a call for justice. Both testify to his place within the continuum of jazz as a living, breathing art form of resistance, reflection, and hope.
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