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Terence Blanchard
The crucible of catastrophe impels creative expression. Since the turn of the century, this has taken shape in manifold ways, from artistic responses to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the war in Iraq to the pummeling of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It is this latter calamity that informs Crescent City native son Terence Blanchard's impassioned song cycle, A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina), a 13-track emotional tour de force of anger, rage, compassion, melancholy and beauty. A Tale of God's Will, which features Blanchard's quintet—pianist Aaron Parks, saxophonist Brice Winston, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Kendrick Scott—as well as a 40-member string orchestra, is his third album for Blue Note Records. (Since signing with the label in 2003, Blanchard has released two other critically acclaimed albums, Bounce and Flow, the latter of which was nominated for two Grammys in 2006.)
"This is what we are called to do as artists," says the trumpeter, bandleader, arranger and film-score composer." We document our social surroundings and give our impressions of events. The problem with Katrina is that the devastation is so vast that there's only been a trickle of art so far. We're all still digesting what went on and what continues to happen. It's like an unending story. For me, like so many others, it's taken me a moment to get my mind around all of this. I knew I needed to express this musically to keep the story alive, but so many important things—the safety of family members, figuring out how to rebuild my mother's house—never allowed me the time to breathe for a minute."
An important jumpstart for A Tale of God's Will was director Spike Lee's decision to document the aftermath of Katrina on film,in what turned out to be the four-hour HBO documentary, When The Levees Broke, which aired last year. Lee, who has enlisted Blanchard on numerous occasions to score his films, such as Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, The 25th Hour and Inside Man, tapped him once again for his documentary. "That started me to make some musical statements for this moment in time," Blanchard says. "It's part of the grieving process. Once I wrote some of the music for Spike's film,I knew I could take it and expand upon it. Meanwhile, guys in my band were writing music that reflected on what happened in the aftermath of Katrina. This provided me with the perfect opportunity to bring the band all together."
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Terence Blanchard at The Carver Community Cultural Center
by Katchie Cartwright
Terence Blanchard with the E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet The Carver Community Cultural Center / Jo Long TheatreSan Antonio, TXNovember 4, 2023 San Antonio's Carver Community Cultural Center has long been a primary presenter of African American musical and educational programming in the city. Its first incarnation was as the Colored Community House, built in 1905 on land purchased by the NAACP. The building was set for demolition after desegregation in the 1970s but was ...
Continue ReadingBen Wendel: All One
by Claudio Bonomi
Classe 1976, canadese di nascita, cresciuto a Los Angeles e attualmente residente a Brooklyn (New York), Ben Wendel è considerato un astro nascente del jazz contemporaneo da diversi anni. Sassofonista e compositore, oltre ad essere stato nel 2001 tra i fondatori dei Kneebody, si è costruito negli anni una solida reputazione di solista e leader firmando ben sette album che hanno suscitato l'attenzione di pubblico e critica. Questo All One non fa eccezione. È stato concepito in tempi ...
Continue ReadingBen Wendel: All One
by Jerome Wilson
Saxophonist Ben Wendel came up with a unique approach for this album of duets. He plays with a different musician on each of these six tracks, but while his guests stick to their primary instruments, Wendel fills in the space around them with multiple saxophone and bassoon parts, electronic effects, and percussion. The most conventional results of this approach are heard in the two vocal tracks. Cecile McLorin Salvant's sensitive singing on I Loves You Porgy" and Jose ...
Continue ReadingBoston Lyric Opera Plays the Music of Terence Blanchard at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater
by Doug Hall
Terence Blanchard Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre Boston Lyric Opera's Champion: An Opera in Jazz Boston, MA May 22, 2022 Now in its 45th season, Boston Lyric Opera is the largest and longest-lived opera company in New England (founded in 1976). Standing away from popular themes, BLO's programming has remained faithful to the tradition of trail-blazing new ground and offering new ways to enhance the opera-going experience. Always pursuing productions on the edge ...
Continue ReadingTerence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective: Absence
by Chris May
Trumpeter Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective's Absence is dedicated to saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, who for health reasons has been obliged to retire from performing, at least temporarily. Some people celebrating their 88th birthday, as Shorter did on August 25 2021, might not welcome being the dedicatee of an album with such a title. They might consider a more appropriate choice of words to be Presence or even I'm Feeling Fine Thanks For Asking. But you never know with ...
Continue ReadingTerence Blanchard, John Ellis, Ben Goldberg, Becca Stevens & Other New Releases
by Ludovico Granvassu
Two beautiful and diverse renditions of Nefertiti-era Wayne Shorter, two exciting new albums featuring John Ellis, yet another surprise from Becca Stevens and much more in the second part of this week's edition focusing on recent and upcoming releases.Happy listening!PlaylistBen Allison Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 John Ellis, Adam Levy, Glenn Patscha Magnolia Triangle" Say It Quiet (Sunnyside) 0:16 Host talks 4:30 Pete Rodríguez Academic Backstabbing 101" Obstacles (Sunnyside) 5:25 Pete ...
Continue ReadingLift Every Voice And Sing: Twenty #BlackLives Albums That Matter
by Chris May
Jazz has been inextricably linked with social and political protest since at least the late 1930s, when Billie Holiday made famous the leftist songwriter and poet Abel Meeropol's Strange Fruit." The song, which has a power to move that is undiminished by familiarity, likens the bodies of lynched African Americans to fruit hanging in trees. But the alignment of jazz and protest goes back further than Strange Fruit." It is likely to have begun with the emergence ...
Continue ReadingThe 11th TD James Moody Jazz Festival At The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Announces Artist Line-Up
Source:
AMT Public Relations
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced the exciting line-up of the highly anticipated TD James Moody Jazz Festival. This year’s program offers events combining jazz luminaries in collaboration with artists known for R&B, poetry, hip hop, and so much more. The festival kick-starts November 10th with two powerhouse concerts: one of the today’s most creative forces in the contemporary jazz scene, Terence Blanchard, will bejoined by his E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet for a special tribute to ...
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Jazz this week: Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective, Funky Butt Brass Band, and more
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
This week's calendar of live jazz and creative music performances in and around St. Louis features the return of a famed trumpeter with a brand-new band and sound, plus a varied assortment of gigs from local favorites. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, June 10 Tonight, trumpeter Terence Blanchard opens a four-night engagement with his new band, the E-Collective, at Jazz at the Bistro. The New Orleans native released a new album, Breathless, just a couple of weeks ago, featuring ...
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StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
When we last saw Terence Blanchard here in jny: St. Louis back in February 2014, the jny: New Orleans-born trumpeter was playing on short notice at the Sheldon as a substitute for pianist Chucho Valdes, who had canceled his long-scheduled performance there due to a mid-tour injury. Blanchard also spent a good amount of time here the previous year, leading up to the world premiere of his opera Champion in June 2013 at Opera Theatre St. Louis. And local jazz ...
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Terence Blanchard Named Visiting Scholar At Berklee College Of Music
Source:
Berklee Media Relations
Berklee College of Music has named world-renowned trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and Blue Note recording artist Terence Blanchard as a visiting scholar in the Jazz Composition department beginning in the fall of 2015. Blanchard will also work in the Film Scoring and Brass departments, and for the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. “Coming to Berklee feels like I’m coming home. Even though I never went to Berklee, I hang out there a great deal and learn a lot from my friends who ...
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Tech & Jazz Communities Unite In Dallas To Help Build Technology Careers For U.S. Veterans
Source:
Muse Media
Dallas, TX – NPower, 7-Eleven, PepsiCo and the greater North Texas tech community are proud to present multiple Grammy Award- winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard for a benefit concert at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center on April 7, 2015, at 8 p.m. Tickets on sale now at TicketDFW.com or see event sponsorship opportunities at npower.org Over 30,000 new U.S. Armed Forces veterans enter the job market each year—but finding a good civilian job can be a challenge, and veteran unemployment ...
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Grammy U Teams With Terence Blanchard For New Orleans Jazz Fest May 4
Source:
Michael Ricci
GRAMMY U Students From Mancini Institute To Perform With The Legendary Jazz Musician SANTA MONICA, Calif. — GRAMMY U— a Recording Academy program created to prepare college students interested in pursuing a career in the music industry — announced today their partnership with GRAMMY-winning jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard during the famed New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest on May 3–4. GRAMMY U students chosen from the Henry Mancini Institute at the Frost School of Music at the University ...
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Terence Blanchard's Champion Nominated For International Opera Award
Source:
Muse Media
Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer’s CHAMPION, which received its world premiere at Opera Theatre in June 2013, is one of five finalists for “World Premiere” of the year in the 2014 International Opera Awards. Funds currently being raised via IndieGoGo for recording/distribution of project for CD Los Angeles, CA: Opera Theatre’s 2013 world premiere Champion, which was co-commissioned with Jazz St. Louis, continues to garner international recognition with the February 13 announcement from the 2014 International Opera Awards that the ...
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St. Louis Premiere of Terence Blanchard's Opera Gets National Media Attention
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St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard's new opera Champion, which will receive its world premiere performance this Saturday, June 15 at Opera Theatre St. Louis, got some national attention today in an article in the Wall Street Journal. Jazz Times magazine recently also ran a short item about the premiere, while Opera News had a more extensive piece. Blanchard also appeared last month on PBS' The Tavis Smiley Show to discuss Champion and his new album on Blue Note records, Magnetic. ...
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New Terence Blanchard CD Set For Release May 28th
Source:
Muse Media
NEW TERENCE BLANCHARD ALBUM MAGNETIC SET FOR RELEASE MAY 28 ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS Album Will Coincide With June World Premiere Of Blanchard’s First Opera, Champion, “An Opera In Jazz” Magnetic, Terence Blanchard’s stunning new album is set for release May 28 on Blue Note Records. The album features ten original songs written by Blanchard or a member of his quintet: saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist Fabian Almazon, bassist Joshua Crumbly, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Magnetic also showcases special guest appearances ...
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Terence Blanchard Commissioned to Write New Work for Opera Theatre St. Louis
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard (pictured) has been commissioned to write a new work called Champion for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The opera will get its world premiere during OTSL's 2013 season, with six performances taking place between June 15, 2013 and June 30. Based on the story of professional boxer Emile Griffith, Champion is a joint project of OTSL and Jazz St. Louis. OTSL artistic director James Robinson will direct a cast starring Denyce Graves, Aubrey Allicock, Arthur ...
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"[The musicians] are able to take these compositions and immediately translate them into the particular sound of Terence's band, which in many ways reminds me of what used to happen with Miles." —Herbie Hancock "His impressive new album for Blue Note [is] a purposeful convergence of his film-composer and jazz-musician identities... The result is a melancholy suite that feels both intensely personal and broadly cinematic." —The New York Times