On Wednesday, October 28 at 8:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall, progressive jazz trumpeter, educator, and Golden Globe-nominated film composer Terence Blanchard leads his quintet—featuring tenor saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Michael Olatuja, and drummer Kendrick Scott—through an electrifying evening of his original music (with contributions by fellow band mates). The performance opens Carnegie Hall’s 2009–2010 Shape of Jazz series, a three part series presented in partnership with Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC. A New Orleans native, Blanchard has won four Grammy Awards and has written scores for over 40 major motion pictures (including Eve’s Bayou, Malcolm X, Barbershop, and Inside Man, among others.)Blanchard’s most recent release, Choices, was issued last month by Concord Jazz, and features his quintet with special guests including guitarist Lionel Loueke, philosopher Dr. Cornel West, and vocalist Bilal. The album includes original music by Blanchard and members of his quintet, and is a celebration of life and survival. It serves as a follow up to his 2007 Grammy-winning release, A Tale Of God’s Will (A Requiem For Katrina)—a 13-track song-cycle about the physical and emotional ravages incurred upon the City of New Orleans and its residents as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
The Shape of Jazz series in Zankel Hall continues in 2010 with Brazilian jazz pianist and vocalist Eliane Elias leading her quartet featuring bassist Marc Johnson, guitarist Rubens de La Corte, and drummer Rafael Barata in a performance on Wednesday, February 17 at 8:30 p.m. Closing out the series on Wednesday, April 7 at 8:30 p.m. is renowned jazz saxophonist, flutist, and NEA Jazz Master James Moody in an all-star celebratory performance marking his 85th birthday. Performing with Moody will be pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Todd Coolman, and drummer Adam Nussbaum, with special guests, clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera and trumpeter Randy Brecker.
About the Artist
Terence Blanchard was born in New Orleans on March 13, 1962, and began playing piano at the age of five. In elementary school, he began playing the trumpet, receiving musical coaching at home from his father, an opera singer. As a teenager, Blanchard began studying with famed New Orleans-based musicians Ellis Marsalis and Roger Dickerson and later attended Rutgers University on a music scholarship where one of his professors was so impressed by his talent that he helped him secure a touring gig with the legendary Lionel Hampton and his band.
In 1983, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis recommended Blanchard as his replacement in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Blakey, universally hailed as a legend for his ability to foster performances and individual personalities from young talents, utilized and nurtured the improvisation and compositional ideas of his band members to solidify his own unique artistic vision. The legacy of the working band as jazz workshop is believed to be essential to the growth of jazz music. It is a legacy that Terence Blanchard continues to embrace in his own group.
After two years with Art Blakey, Blanchard and fellow Jazz Messenger, saxophonist Donald Harrison split to form their own quintet. Blanchard later departed to pursue a solo career and signed with Columbia Records where he released the soundtrack for the Spike Lee film Mo’ Better Blues and a record entitled The Heart Speaks—both nominated for Grammy Awards. He signed to the Sony Classical label in 1999, and continued to gain acclaim as a bandleader, composer, and scorer for movie and television soundtracks (including the Grammy-nominated Wandering Moon and Golden Globe nominated score for Spike Lee’s The 25th Hour).
In 2003, Mr. Blanchard signed with Blue Note Records, and released three albums for the label: Bounce, Flow, and A Tale Of God’s Will (A Requiem For Katrina). While working on the latter, he also played a pivotal role in the moving of the renowned Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz from its base in Los Angeles to New Orleans—a move that as Artistic Director Blanchard felt would benefit not only the city of New Orleans, but also the students who will be surrounded by the ever-present rich diversity of music in the birthplace of jazz—The Crescent City. His most recent recording, Choices, was released by Concord Jazz in August 2009.
Program Information
Wednesday, October 28 at 8:30 p.m.
Zankel Hall
TERENCE BLANCHARD
Terence Blanchard, Trumpet
Brice Winston, Tenor Saxophone
Fabian Almazan, Piano
Kendrick Scott, Drums
Michael Olatuja, Bass
Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC.
Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.
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