Biography

Of the many musicians who have ended up in Brooklyn, Ryan Blotnick has chosen a consistently unpredictable path.  He first appeared in New York in 2004 as a reverse exchange student from the Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium in Copenhagen, becoming the first American to complete the Danish graduate program.  His association with the school in Denmark between 2002 and 2006 allowed him to form relationships with some very unique European musicians and study in New York with Steve Cardenas, Lionel Loueke, Ben Street and others.  Since graduating Blotnick has performed in New york, Ireland, England, Germany, Sweden, the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and extensively in Northern Spain.  

Born in Alfred, Maine, April 30th, 1983, Ryan was interested in music at a very young age, and started playing guitar at age 8.  He attended Maine Jazz Camp in middle school and left high school when he was 16 to study music at William Paterson University.  There he played with classmates Ned Ferm, Sam Barsh, Mark Guiliana and Tyshawn Sorey, and studied with Paul Meyers and Gene Bertoncini.  Dropping out of school to join Maine-based rock band the Rustic Overtones led Ryan away from the New York scene, but gave him the freedom to travel and explore Europe.  While living in Copenhagen, he found himself more and more often in the position of leader, and became increasingly interested in composition.  There he composed pieces for film, modern dance and recorded music for woodwinds, brass and rhythm section.

Since moving to New York, Blotnick has led a quartet with Jonathan Rossman, a septet with Tyshawn Sorey and Thomas Morgan, a quintet with Albert Sanz and Bill McHenry, a trio with RJ Miller and Chris Higgins, and various other projects.  As a sideman he has worked with Pete Robbins & Centric, Michael Blake’s Free Association, Tyshawn Soreyís Oblique, Mads Mouritz and the Bleeding Hearts, The Allison/Blake Morphestra, James Ilgenfritz, and the Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble.  He has played in various configurations with Steven Bernstein, Ben Street, Kresten Osgood, Kenny Wollesen, Marcus Rojas, Michael Attias, Gerald Cleaver, Avishai Cohen, Dan Weiss, Jeff Williams and others.  He is currently embarking on a new project led by Michael Blake featuring Michael Bates and Jesse Stacken.

"Ryan Blotnick's playing has the rare blend of a modern conception with the depth of having explored and absorbed vocabulary of many of the jazz greats. His ideas are clear and straightforward, as well as his compositions." -Steve Cardenas

"Displaying a gracious tone and deep musical sensibility, Ryan's patience sets him apart from his peers." - Michael Blake