Terence Blanchard plays well with others
February 8th, 2008 by David Lee Simmons in Music news
(Carol Friedman)
One of the highlights of my time spent in New Orleans as the A&E editor for the alternative newspaper Gambit Weekly was getting a few hours to spend with Grammy-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard, who among other things is noted for being the composer for director Spike Lee’s films. The year was 2001, and Gambit’s Big Easy Entertainment Awards had selected Blanchard as its Entertainer of the Year.
It was a helluva year for the former Jazz Messenger, who won three awards in Down Beat magazine’s end-of-the year poll (Best Album, Best Artist and Best Trumpeter), which is pretty impressive considering the firepower that comes from fellow New Orleans trumpeters Wynton Marsalis and Nicholas Payton. He’d also scored a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (on Wandering Moon’s “I Thought About You”). He’d also spent the previous year working on a whopping seven film scores and was preparing to release his sublime Jimmy McHugh tribute album, Let’s Get Lost, featuring collaborations with (among others) Diana Krall and Cassandra Wilson. In fact, the thing that impressed me most about Blanchard was how well he worked with others, whether it was on Spike Lee with his movies, guest vocalists on his albums, or bandmates in concert.
Blanchard is in town tonight to perform in the touring version of the Monterey Jazz Festival, which also includes saxophonist James Moody, performing at the Woodruff Arts Center’s Atlanta Symphony Hall. Tickets range from $30-$50. Here’s that 2001 interview, which provides insight into a creative process that keeps Blanchard busy working on multiple projects.
Here’s one of a bazillion clips from him in concert. I love the last comment: “He sings through his trumpet!” Yup.
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