About this project

Project Update: The Koppel/Colley/Blade Collective has been submitted for nomination in the 58th Grammy Awards!

Welcome to the Koppel/Colley/Blade Collective Project on ArtistShare®. We are a newly formed chord-less trio featuring Benjamin Koppel on saxophone, Brian Blade on drums, and Scott Colley on bass. For our first ArtistShare project, we have recorded our debut album as a trio together, and we are currently taking this new music on tour. This album will capture our exciting new compositions directly inspired by personal landscapes that we hold dear, as well as fresh new landscapes that we encounter along our tour abroad.

We are intrigued by landscapes – both the literal landscapes of the world and the innovative musical "landscapes" of composition and improvisation. Our unique and leaderless trio differs from most conventional jazz ensembles which are typically built upon the harmonic foundation of piano or guitar. The music that results from our collective-minded approach is spontaneous, gratifying, groovy, and highly melodic - and we're very excited to share it with you!

As a participant in our project on ArtistShare, you will be making our very first trio album together come to life, and along the way, we'll share our creative process with you. We will document how our music develops and changes spontaneously through the course of our tour. Journey along with us as we create thrilling, spontaneous music inspired by natural landscapes!