Terence Blanchard

About

Official Site: http://www.terenceblanchard.com/main.html

Fresh from being voted Artist of the Year in Down Beat’s 2000 poll, jazz trumpeter, Terence Blanchard embarks on tour through the southern and southwestern United States, performing selections from his upcoming Sony Classical release, Let’s Get Lost, due in stores Tuesday, May 15, 2001.

Let’s Get Lost features new interpretations of the great standards of composer Jimmy McHugh, one of the giants of the golden age of the American popular song. Blanchard uses some of McHugh’s vast repertoire as the springboard for his own lyrical, satisfying statements. Here, Blanchard employs four singers of diverse and distinct talents, Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson. Blanchard’s solid, seasoned quintet are at the heart of things and include longtime partner pianist Edward Simon, bassist Derek Nievergelt, drummer Eric Harland, along with tenor saxophonist Brice Winston.

The release of Let's Get Lost follows the success of Wandering Moon, released last year on Sony Classical, featuring Blanchard performing his own compositions. The album won him a Grammy nomination as well as Album of the Year in Down Beat’s annual poll, which also named him Artist and Trumpeter of the Year. Also for Sony Classical, Jazz in Film featured Blanchard in an exploration of the influence of jazz in classic movie scores, including Duke Ellington's “Anatomy of Murder”, Quincy Jones'” The Pawn Broker” and Jerry Goldsmith's “Chinatown”. Artists featured on the album are Joe Henderson, Donald Harrison, Kenny Kirkland, Steve Turre, Carl Allen and Reginald Veal.

Blanchard's creative musical presence continues to be felt in the film industry. "Although there’s no denying that Terence Blanchard has ‘gone Hollywood’ -- no less than six pics bearing his soundtrack work will hit theaters this summer -- the trumpeter hasn’t lost touch with the traditional jazz world that nurtured him more than 15 years ago," noted Daily Variety in a recent article. In fact, Blanchard has launched a rebirth of jazz's existence within the orchestral world with his mesmerizing film compositions. "It's a different discipline which allows you to be creative in a different form," comments Blanchard. By successfully merging the two media into a unique and diverse body of work, Blanchard has conceived an impressive accomplishment.

Blanchard began his film scoring career in the late 80s working with Spike Lee on films such as Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Clockers, Summer of Sam and the Academy Award® nominated 1997 documentary Four Little Girls. The most recent Blanchard/Lee collaboration was the critically acclaimed 2000 release Bamboozled, a film dealing with racism in television, starring Jada Pinkett, Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson.

Upcoming film score work includes the hugely anticipated MGM film Original Sin starring Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. The film, slated for a summer release, has already created a buzz throughout the country.

Directed by Michael Cristofer, who directed and co-wrote the HBO movie Gia, Original Sin, is a Hitchcock-esque, passion-filled mystery, set in turn of the century Cuba. Against this backdrop, Blanchard shaped a large orchestral score infused with Afro-Cuban rhythms resulting in a full, lush sound. The soundtrack for Original Sin will be released on Chapter III records in conjunction with the film’s release. Additional upcoming film projects include All That Glitters from Sony Pictures starring Mariah Carey, Da Brat and Valerie Pittiford and directed by Vondie Curtis Hall along with People I Know starring Al Pacino, Kim Basinger and Tea Leoni.

Despite his involvement in film and television, Blanchard distinctly regards himself primarily as a jazz musician. He successfully juggles touring with his band while undertaking outside projects. "Nothing can beat being a jazz musician, playing a club, playing a concert. When I stood next to Sonny Rollins at Carnegie Hall and listened to him play, that was it for me."

Working to further jazz education, Blanchard recently accepted an appointment to the University of Southern California (USC) as the Artistic Director for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance. As Artistic Director, Blanchard’s primary role will be to provide artistic direction for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble, comprised of young, extremely talented jazz artists known as the Thelonious Monk Fellows. Blanchard will work with the students in the areas of artistic development, arranging, composition, career counseling and concert programming. He will also participate in master classes and community outreach programs associated with the college program.

An alumnus of the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts, Blanchard emerged on the New York jazz scene in the 80s, becoming a part of an exciting musical renaissance taking place among young musicians, including hometown colleagues Wynton and Branford Marsalis. Most notably he collaborated with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and alto- man Donald Harrison, with whom he recorded such memorable projects for Columbia Jazz as Crystal Stair and Black Pearl. Among Blanchard’s numerous honors are the Grand Prix du Disque award (for his album New York Second Line in 1984), a Grammy® Award nomination (Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group, for his contribution to the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues in 1990), an Emmy Award nomination (Best Original Score For a Documentary for The Promised Land in 1995), and another Grammy® nomination (Best Latin Jazz Performance for his album The Heart Speaks in 1996).

Terence Blanchard was born on March 13, 1962, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Encouraged by his musically inclined father, Joseph Oliver, he began learning the piano at the age of five. Initially, he wasn't too excited about his lessons, an attitude that vanished after a phenomenal discovery. "I'll never forget it," said Blanchard. While in the third grade, a jazz band came to his school for an assembly. Blanchard was present in the audience and attentively aware of one Alvin Alcorn, the trumpet player in the band. After hearing him Terence said, "I want to do that!"

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