David Blamires
Encyclopedia
David Blamires is a vocalist and composer and was born in Bradford
, England
but moved to Toronto
, Canada and is one of Canada
's most versatile and sought after session musicians. His résumé includes projects with Anne Murray
, Triumph
, Manteca
and Pat Metheny
.
Blamires is best known for his musical work with the Pat Metheny Group
in a decade long span between 1987 and 1997 which earned him several Grammy awards. In addition to non-lyrical singing on several of the Group's albums, Blamires also played guitar
, trumpet
, violin
, mellophone
, and recorder
. For a couple of the albums, Blamires even picked up marimbas and accordion
.
His own self-titled jazz worldbeat album released in 1992 achieved limited success in U.S. and Canada.
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada and is one of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's most versatile and sought after session musicians. His résumé includes projects with Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, Triumph
Triumph (band)
Triumph is a Canadian hard rock power trio that was popular in the late 1970s through the 1980s. Eight of the band's albums were certified gold or higher, and Triumph was nominated for multiple Juno Awards, including Group of the Year Award in 1979, 1985, 1986 and 1987.Like their fellow Canadians...
, Manteca
Manteca
Manteca may refer to:* Manteca, California, a city* Manteca , a Canadian jazz fusion band* "Manteca" , a 1947 jazz tune co-written by Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo, and Gil Fuller* Manteca, a UK record label imprint of Union Square Music...
and Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
.
Blamires is best known for his musical work with the Pat Metheny Group
Pat Metheny Group
The Pat Metheny Group is a jazz group founded in 1977. The core members of the group are guitarist and bandleader Pat Metheny, composer, keyboardist and pianist Lyle Mays , and bassist and producer Steve Rodby...
in a decade long span between 1987 and 1997 which earned him several Grammy awards. In addition to non-lyrical singing on several of the Group's albums, Blamires also played guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, mellophone
Mellophone
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn in marching bands or drum and bugle corps....
, and recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
. For a couple of the albums, Blamires even picked up marimbas and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
.
His own self-titled jazz worldbeat album released in 1992 achieved limited success in U.S. and Canada.
Selected discography
- Pat Metheny GroupPat Metheny GroupThe Pat Metheny Group is a jazz group founded in 1977. The core members of the group are guitarist and bandleader Pat Metheny, composer, keyboardist and pianist Lyle Mays , and bassist and producer Steve Rodby...
- Still Life (Talking)Still Life (Talking)Still Life is an album by Pat Metheny Group, released in 1987. This is the first group's album released by Geffen Records. It features fusion and crossover jazz, combining Brazilian jazz-influenced harmonies with jazz, folk, and pop elements...
- We Live HereWe Live HereWe Live Here is an album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 1995 by Geffen Records. This album shows a high level of collaboration between Lyle Mays and Pat Metheny having composed almost all the songs together except "Episode D'Azur"....
- Imaginary DayImaginary DayImaginary Day is an album by the Pat Metheny Group, released in 1997 by Warner Bros. Records. It also won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, while "The Roots of Coincidence" won Best Rock Instrumental Performance....
- Still Life (Talking)
- Pat MethenyPat MethenyPatrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
- Secret Story
- The David Blamires Group
- The David Blamires Group (album), 1992