Instrumental music that transforms the Warr guitar into an orchestra of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and cinematic storytelling.

Jason Blake is a Chicago-based Warr guitarist who blends progressive rock, jazz fusion, and cinematic composition into richly layered instrumental music. Hailed as "one of the most distinguished technicians on the Warr" (Betreutes Proggen) and "a master of his craft" (Rock Times), Blake performs on the twelve-string Warr guitar, an instrument that combines the range of guitar and bass, allowing him to create the depth and complexity of a full ensemble from a single instrument. Drawn to the Warr guitar's ability to unite melody, harmony, and bass, Blake has spent years expanding the instrument's role within progressive music, using it not as a technical curiosity but as a compositional instrument capable of conveying the depth and interplay of an ensemble through a single performer. This philosophy informs everything from his progressive rock recordings to ambient works and chamber collaborations.

Blake plays with the progressive instrumental trio Aziola Cry, where his compositions combine technical precision with cinematic scope. Since the band's debut, Ellipsis, the group has evolved through increasingly ambitious releases culminating in The Ironic Divide, named Instrumental Progressive Metal Album of the Year by Sonic Perspectives, and the acclaimed Dysphoria Ritual (7D Media), praised as "another masterclass in instrumental storytelling."

Beyond Aziola Cry, his solo catalog ranges from progressive rock and solo Warr guitar compositions to ambient soundscapes, drone works, and chamber music. Blake's progressive rock releases include Subsequent Ruins, a modern retelling of the Pied Piper legend in which screens assume the role of the antagonist, and A Confusion Sequence, a conceptual album about awakening in an unrecognizable world. Both albums feature drummer Marco Minnemann, with artwork by Hajo Mueller. He has also composed two solo Warr guitar albums, Imaginary Cages and Radiant Dusk. Written as a soundtrack to Embers by Sándor Márai, Candles Burn, his one-off classical chamber duo featuring Raphael Weinroth-Browne on cello, has been described as "Chamber music for metalheads." A fan of ambient music, he composed a trilogy of albums based on Freudian psychoanalytic theory entitled The Ternary Instinct. The first album in the trilogy was Fictional Mirrors, which received widespread praise for its ambitious sonic palette. Released the following year, The Compromise Rationale took the progressive sound a step further and showcased his adventurous approach to the genre. The ProgSpace referred to it as an “engaging, unpredictable, instrumental exploration of an incredibly diverse sounding instrument delivered with impeccable precision.” The trilogy's final installment is currently in development. Whether writing progressive rock, ambient works, or chamber music, Blake approaches each project as an opportunity to explore storytelling through instrumental composition.

To bring his solo compositions to the stage, Blake performs with drummer Brandon White (Repentless). Together, they present arrangements that span both his solo catalog and the music of Aziola Cry while preserving the depth and complexity of the original recordings. He also performs as a solo artist, appearing regularly throughout the Midwest. He has performed at ProgStock and ProgDay and has opened for The Aristocrats, Alex Skolnick Trio, and Travis Larson. 

Whether performing solo, collaborating with acclaimed musicians, or composing for Aziola Cry, Blake continues to explore the expressive possibilities of the Warr guitar through music that is both technically adventurous and emotionally resonant.