Michael Bates-Northern Spy Michael Bates-double bass Michael Blake-saxophone Jeremy 'Bean’ Clemons-drums Take one listen to the joy and energy of this unpredictable band and try not to get caught up in the excitement.  Northern Spy's rough-and-tumble interplay meets in a place where everything is an option.  Their upcoming release features music written in admiration of artists such as Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield, Blind Willie Johnson and Otis Redding.  It’s organic, soulful and edgy music that veers happily between wide open jazz, the swing tradition and heavy grooves.  A band of long time New Yorkers who play with intensity and fire; they take the blues and manhandle it into unexpected musical shapes.   The Musicians: Inspired by all musical genres, Michael Bates is a compelling example of what it means to be a musician in the new millennium.  He is a visionary composer and bassist who thrives in many musical worlds.  For over a decade he has been performing cutting edge music and “simply put, Bates has the ability to make a huge impact on the existing state of modern jazz”– (Glenn Astarita). The prolific and unpredictable nature of saxophonist Michael Blake’s output has been evident since he first emerged on the scene as a member of John Lurie’s LOUNGE LIZARDS.  He is a conceptualist able to translate the traditions of jazz and new music into an eclectic, forward-looking language of his own invention, intellectually rewarding yet ever accessibly vibrant.  In all of the diverse musical spheres he embraces, Jeremy ‘Bean” Clemons is one of today’s most swinging and energetic drummers. His playing transcends the stylistic borders associated with his instrument.  He has developed a unique improvisational language: virtuosic and sonically rich.  Michael Bates “serves up melodic modernism and contrapuntal elegance” ("Time Out, New York”) and is a compelling example of what it means to be a musician in the new millennium.  He is a near virtuoso double bassist, visionary composer,  active bandleader, curator and educator who thrives in many musical worlds.  With an eye to the future, his music draws from jazz, classical, world music, rock and blends them into a lyrical, visceral and cinematic style. For over a decade he has been performing cutting edge music and "simply put, Bates has the ability to make a huge impact on the existing state of modern jazz"– (Glenn Astarita).  He has been called "a charismatic player who manages to navigate that most difficult and rarely traveled road leading to accessible experimentation… "(Chris Watson, “The View”). His nine recordings:  “Outside Sources”( 2004), “A Fine Balance” (2006), “Clockwise” (2008) and “Live in New York (2009)" and Acrobat (2011), One From None (2012),  Automatic Vaudeville (2013), Boom Crane (2014), Northern Spy (2014) have been recorded for Dave Douglas' Greenleaf Music, Sunnyside Records, Fresh Sound and Between the Lines.  All been released to wide acclaim and publications such as Downbeat, Jazztimes, New York Times, Jazzman, Double Bassist, Signal to Noise, Jazz Podium and many more have lauded him as an emerging innovator.  He grew up in Vancouver, Canada and even though he was exposed to musicians such as Sun Ra, Thomas Chapin, the Clusone Trio and Dave Holland, Michael began playing music in hardcore and punk rock bands before turning to jazz and classical music.  He studied with the principal bassist of the Tokyo Symphony, Yoshio Nagashima, Don Thompson, Dave Young, Mark Helias and Tony Falanga. In 2002,  he relocated and began performing with many of New York's best including Michael Blake, JD Allen, Tom Rainey, Myra Melford, Chris Speed, Jeff Davis, Donny McCaslin, Russ Johnson, Dave Douglas, Michael Sarin, Gerald Cleaver, Russ Lossing and Marty Ehrlich.  Michael has recorded dozens of albums as a sideman, toured all over Europe, Asia, the United States and Canada and as an educator, he has taught at the Banff Centre of the Arts and several universities worldwide.