Search - Jason Blake :: The Absence Of Color

Chicago native Jason Blake has recently released his debut album, The Absence of Color, a ten-song collection of original music. Setting out to create a sound not yet heard on the music scene, Jason utilizes the range of tones found on the Chapman Stick Bass®; a unique eight-string instrument that incorporates the range of both a bass and guitar. His use of a two-hand tapping technique allows Jason to create two unique rhythms simultaneously. For the recording of this instrumental CD, Jason is joined by percussionist Eric Yacula, who laid the foundation for the music with a variety of instruments including the drums and the classical Indian tabla. The result is a combination of improvised rock with world and ambient undertones. "What really makes this music so special is that it sounds unlike anything that I, or likely anyone, has ever heard before, " said Eric, who has been playing with Jason since 2001. Tracks on the CD include "Immortal Hours," a song composed while Jason and Eric were preparing for a duet performance in St. Louis. Reaching into his past, Jason used scores written for his old rock band to build on and within a week, created the lead track for his album. Similar spontaneity was used to conceive "Two Absolutes," which although it had a bass line floating around in Jason's head, was created during the actual recording session. The slow tempo and melodic rhythm found in "Threnody" almost did not make it to the final release because Jason did not feel it fit in with the rest of his material. But after a several-month hiatus from it and the decision to take it in a fresh direction, the artist decided not only to include "Threnody" on the album but labeled it one of his favorites.