Johnathan Blake ( 1. June 1976 in Philadelphia ) is an American jazz - drummer .

Johnathan Blake son of jazz violinist John Blake Jr . He started playing drums when he was ten; He gained his first experience in his hometown in the Lovett Hines Youth Ensemble . After graduating from George Washington High School, he studied jazz at William Paterson University with Rufus Reid , John Riley , Steve Wilson and Horacee Arnold . During this time he began to work as a professional musician, including in the Oliver Lake Big Band , with Roy Hargrove and David Sánchez . In 2006 he received the ASCAP Young Composers Award; the following year he completed his studies with a master's in composition at Rutgers University (studied with Ralph Bowen , Conrad Herwig and Stanley Cowell ).