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2 episodes with joshua crumbly
2 episodes with joshua crumbly
M
Too often we focus our attention on instrumental jazz… in this hour we will try to remedy that with special attention to jazz singers who excel at surprising and challenging expectations. The playlist features Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter; Veronica Swift; Maria Pia de Vito; Kornél Fekete-Kovács, Veronika Harcsa, Robert Balzar Trio; Gabriela Martina; Elina Duni [pictured]; Camille Bertault, Paul Bertault; Christina Galisatus. Erin Bentlage, Joshua Crumbly; Gretchen Parlato, Lionel Loueke; Rita Reys, Oliver Nelson; Marc Jordan; Nite Bjuti. Detailed playlist at https://spinitron.com/RFB/pl/17812561/Mondo-Jazz [from "Freeman Square" onwards]. Happy listening!
Jesse Palter, saje, Christian Euman, Rachel Eckroth, Mark Guiliana, Jonathan Pinson, Joshua Crumbly, Terence Blanchard, Victor Gould, Esperanza Spalding, Matthew Stevens, Jessica Ackerley & Daniel Carter, Patrick Shiroishi, Maria Grand, Benjamin Deschamps, Jazzlab Orchestra, Josh Rager, Helen SungPlaylist: Jesse Palter - Spinning Roundsaje, featuring Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick, Erin Bentlage - WisteriaChristian Euman - 10,000Rachel Eckroth, featuring Tim Lefebvre, Donny McCaslin & Christian Euman - The GardenMark Guiliana - They Know Our HabitsJonathan Pinson's Boom Clap - 90'sJoshua Crumbly, featuring Jonathan Pinson - To MorrowTerence Blanchard, featuring The E-Collective & Turtle Island Quartet - The EldersVictor Gould - Infant EyesEsperanza Spalding - Formwela 11Matthew Stevens - Can AmJessica Ackerley & Daniel Carter - AwakeningPatrick Shiroishi - Tule Lake Like YesterdayMaria Grand, featuring Kanoa Mendenhall & Savannah Harris - WhabriBenjamin Deschamps - Healing Chant: The ResurrectionJazzlab Orchestra - Humor de la seconda nocheJosh Rager - Caminhos CruzadosHelen Sung with Harlem Quartet - Time Loops
Acclaimed LA / New York bassist, producer and songwriter Joshua Crumbly joins Shahzad Ismaily's figureight records for the release of beautiful new album ForEver “ForEver is a letter to tomorrow,” Joshua tells us. His music embodies this sentiment with eloquent gravitas. It is certainly as personal as a letter, handcrafted in the most expressive and affecting ways. Like a letter, it speaks not only of its own words, but of the writer, a soul baring important truths. And it is addressed to “tomorrow”; a sense of hope and conviction illuminate its gentle musical miniatures. “ForEver is a reflection on love, legacy and happenings in the world. A warm hug in inner space.” Though centred about the bass guitar - Joshua is a sought after bassist whose credits include albums for Blue Note, recording dates with Bob Dylan, and performances with Kamasi Washington - ForEver uses additional instrumentation with subtlety and grace. Key track “THREE” grooves on a balmy percussive rhythm while a jazz-tinged synth melody loops and coils about the repeated bassline. The rolling, free drums of “Higher” offer a chaotic counterpoint to the lilting serenity of its arpeggiated bass chords. Interestingly, the record's first vocal lines appear midway through the album (in “To Morrow”), a timely reminder that all of the elegance, power and fluency thus far has been achieved without a single lyric. Towards the end of the record, “Kolkata” is named after the birthplace of Joshua's mother. Combinations of cultures - Joshua has an African-American father and a South Asian mother - is found in abundance in his music. “I think the sound of the album is flexible and doesn't inherently lead to any one singular experience,” he writes. “ForEver can be the leaves of a tree in the wind far off in the distance, or the vast sea that you've dipped your feet into whilst taking in the infinite, finding your own reflection.” Joshua made his musical debut aged 10, playing alongside his saxophonist father. A gifted performer, even as a pre-teen, he enjoyed mentorships with renowned bass players Reggie Hamilton (Whitney Houston, Seal) and Al McKibbon (Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins) before moving from LA to New York to attend the prestigious Juilliard music school. After years of honing his musicality alongside seminal players, Joshua finally embarked on recording his own solo pieces, beginning with 2020's Rise album. The starting place of ForEver quickly followed, beginning with encouraging words from friend and collaborator Shahzad Ismaily. “ForEver began with an out of the blue call from Shahzad. He told me that I needed to record a solo bass album. It started out as such, then I added some other instruments. It branched out even further when I reached out to a few friends, whose voice I was strongly hearing on particular songs. I'm grateful they were down to be a part of the record.”
Dylan's new concert film, SHADOW KINGDOM, debuted yesterday and, twelve hours later, we have a special early episode of Hard Rain & Slow Trains for you reviewing it and playing music to supplement the film. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you who did "What Was It You Wanted" better: Willie Nelson or Bettye LaVette?
Grammy Award, Sirius XM The Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer was born and raised in New York City. Nabaté's debut album called, 'Eclectic Excursions' dropped in the Summer of 2018 and until that point, he's had a glorious career journey. During his high school years, Nabaté represented the fifth generation of jazz for the preview of the Louis Armstrong Archives, with trumpet greats Dr. Donald Byrd, "Doc" Cheatham, "Dizzy" Gillespie, Jimmy Owens, Jon Faddis and Wynton Marsalis. Nabaté also appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial, directed by John Singleton and produced by Roy Eaton. While attending Eastman, Nabaté was a featured soloist with the Rochester Pops Orchestra. Nabaté also participated in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz summer program at Aspen Snowmass and its Jazz Gala at the Kennedy Center. He went on to receive his BM from the Eastman School of Music and his MA from New York University. Nabaté has performed, toured and/or recorded with unique artists Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Christian McBride, Kenny Lattimore, Philip Bailey, Fantasia, Jeffrey Osborne, Jill Scott, Robert Glasper, Dianne Reeves, José James, Savion Glover, Gregory Porter, Freda Payne, Shareefa, Oliver Lake, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Steve Wilson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Matthew Shipp, Charli Persip, Mike Longo, Uri Caine, Buster Williams, Grady Tate, Jay Hoggard, Holt McCallany, the Mingus Big Band, and the José Limon Dance Company. He composed a solo double bass composition called 'Lessons', which was premiered by world-renowned double bassist James VanDemark at Louisiana State University. Nabaté also received a commission from the Festival of New Trumpet Music to compose and premiere a new piece which he entitled, 'We Need Unity in the Community'. Nabaté provided private trumpet instruction to the actor Rob Brown for his role as trumpeter Delmond Lambreaux on the HBO series, 'Treme'. Nabaté was part of both of Christian McBride Big Band's Grammy-winning albums, 'The Good Feeling' (2012) and 'Bringin' It' (2018) as well as the band's performance at the White House for the last concert under President Barack Obama's administration. He has composed five music scores for short films as well as contributing original music to Amos Poe's innovative film, 'Empire II'. He recently completed a score for his first feature called, 'The Rhythm in Blue'. Also, Nabaté is an accomplished producer and host for SiriusXM NBA Radio & he hosts his own weekly television show called 'So Much to Talk About' on MNN (Manhattan cable). Also, a sports trivia expert, Nabaté excelled on TV gameshows, ESPN's Stumb The Schwab and Crackle/NBC Sports' Sports Jeopardy. Nabaté Isles' Eclectic Excursions featuring the joined talents of: Nabaté Isles - Trumpet Alex Han - Alto and Soprano Saxophone David Gilmore - Guitar Theo Hill - Keyboards Brad Jones - Bass Rudy Royston - Drums Special Guests: Alita Moses - Vocals Michael Mayo - Vocals Find Nabaté Isles via social media: Instagram: @nsi.universal Twitter: @NabateIslesSMTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/NabateIslesTrumpet The trumpeter Nabaté Isles recently released his debut album, “Eclectic Excursions,” and it lives up to its title. Mr. Isles has worked most often as a side musician for artists across hip-hop, jazz and R&B, and his own record manages to throw it all together — making room along the way for a few guest singers and rappers — while keeping a firm center. Playing with a quintet, Mr. Isles started off with “Minute Pieces of Wozzeck,” a trippy, motivic original composed around a set of 12-tone harmonies from Alban Berg’s experimental opera, “Wozzeck.” As Adam Klipple’s organ and Joshua Crumbly’s bass hit a stopped-up, two-chord pattern, Mr. Isles retorted with a circular phrase. The guitarist David Gilmore ran snaky improvisations around them, leading your ear gently astray until the rhythm section dropped decisively into a thrashing rock beat. Mr. Isles and the soprano saxophonist Ian Young played in wet blasts of harmony, and Mr. Isles drove headlong into a rugged solo. He pushed hard, leaning into the song’s screwball-fusion vibe but maintaining a measured sense of swing. Midway through the set, the rapper Elzhi — a onetime member of Slum Village, and a guest on the album — guested on two songs, and the band switched comfortably to a radiant, festive mode. Then the vocalist Alita Moses came on to sing “Find Your Light,” a standout from “Eclectic Excursions,” with a strong redolence of Esperanza Spalding’s dreamy neo-soul side. Over a mid-tempo groove, Ms. Moses sang the song’s lyrics of invitation with acrobatic poise, moving deliberately at cloud altitude. Mr. Isles responded with a solo of sharp bursts and grounded rumbles, filling some of the vertical space in the atmosphere below her. A version of this above article appears in print on , on Page C5 of the New York edition with the headline: Contradictions and Fresh Material Abound. ©2020 Building Abundant Success!! 2020 All Rights Reserved Join Me on iHeart Radio @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBAS Spot Me on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yxuy23ba
Digging into Simone Browne’s application of critical race theory to surveillance studies. Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness—Explained, Simone Browne Show Notes The two main subjects we mentioned on the show as relevant were critical theory (and specifically critical race theory) and surveillance studies. Notably, while Browne describes herself as a black feminist and makes reference to the adjacent idea of intersectionality, she never explicitly refers to critical (race) theory. We applied the term to her work based on the historical and interpretive methods she used. Stephen reviewed our intro music, Joshua Crumbly’s “New Rock Thingy,” here. Finally (as noted on air), Stephen was definitely recording from a closet: screenshot of our Zoom call with Stephen in a closet Upcoming Books August (8.14 and 8.15): The Real World of Technology, Ursula Franklin September (8.16 and 8.17): (probably) Technopoly, Neil Postman (We actually have a tentative plan through the end of the year… but we’ll publicize it once we’re more solid!) Credits Music “New Rock Thingy” by Joshua Crumbly. Used by permission. “Winning Slowly Theme” by Chris Krycho. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, meaning you can do whatever you want with this music… as long as you share it for others to likewise do what they want. Sponsors Many thanks to the people who help us make this show possible by their financial support! This month’s sponsors: Daniel Ellcey Douglas Campos Jake Grant Marnix Klooster Spencer Smith If you’d like to support the show, you can make a pledge at Patreon or give directly via Square Cash. Respond We love to hear your thoughts. Shoot us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook!
"Have a listen to this week’s episode of The Jazz Hole with Linus, featuring music from harpist, vocalist and composer Pia Salvia’s new album “Blissful Sigh”, tracks from “Irrational Revelation - Mutual Humiliation” by the JUNO-nominated Canadian jazz quartet Peripheral Vision, selections from bassist and composer Robert Lee’s debut album “Ascension” and from saxophonist and composer Jonathan Greenstein’s EP “Vol. 4”, plus more from “Resilience” by Sebastien Ammann’s Color Wheel lead by pianist and composer Sebastien Ammann. Pia Salvia - 53 Album: Blissful Sigh Pia Salvia (harp, voc, bck voc), Ron Warburg (tp), Yoni Marianer (e-b) and Noam Israeli (d, perc) Pia Salvia - Dark Longing Album: Blissful Sigh Pia Salvia (harp, voc, bck voc), Dana Protsenko (spoken word), Ron Warburg (tp), Dor Heled (wurlitzer, org), Yoni Marianer (e-b) and Noam Israeli (d, perc) Pia Salvia - Dans l’attente de l’oubli Album: Blissful Sigh Pia Salvia (harp, voc) ------ Peripheral Vision - Whistle Up A Rope Album: Irrational Revelation - Mutual Humiliation Trevor Hogg (ts), Don Scott (g, composer), Michael Herring (b), Nick Fraser (d) and Craig Harley (org, fender rhodes) Peripheral Vision - Hanging In Hanging On Hanging Out Album: Irrational Revelation - Mutual Humiliation Trevor Hogg (ts), Don Scott (g), Michael Herring (b, composer), Nick Fraser (d), Michael Davidson (vib), Chris Pruden (Prophet 6) and Jean Martin (org b, synth prog) Robert Lee - Sleepless Album: Ascension Robert Lee (b), Caity Gyorgy (voc), Allison Au (as), Augustine Yates (p), Trevor Giancola (g) and Jacob Wutzke (d) Robert Lee - Ethos Album: Ascension Robert Lee (b), Mingjia Chen (voc), Allison Au (as), Trevor Giancola (g) and Jacob Wutzke (d) ------ Jonathan Greenstein - Trumpet Kings Album: Vol. IV Jonathan Greenstein (as), Takeshi Ohbayashi (p), Joshua Crumbly (b) and Jonathan Pinson (d) Jonathan Greenstein - Bookends Album: Vol. IV Jonathan Greenstein (as) and Takeshi Ohbayashi (p) Sebastien Ammann’s Color Wheel - “Untangled” & “Resilience” Album: Resilience Sebastien Ammann (p, fender rhodes), Michaël Attias (as), Samuel Blaser (tb), Noah Garabedian (b) and Nathan Ellman-Bell (d) 00:00 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 02:14 - 53 - Pia Salvia 05:08 - Dark Longing - Pia Salvia 08:32 - Dans l’attente de l’oubli - Pia Salvia 10:41 - Whistle Up A Rope - Peripheral Vision 15:42 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 17:07 - Hanging In Hanging On Hanging Out - Peripheral Vision 21:48 - Sleepless - Robert Lee 26:19 - Ethos - Robert Lee 33:01 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 34:26 - Trumpet Kings - Jonathan Greenstein 38:10 - Bookends - Jonathan Greenstein 40:52 - Untangled - Sebastien Ammann’s Color Wheel 52:22 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 54:33 - Resilience - Sebastien Ammann’s Color Wheel 60:23 - Finish "
On the latest BcG. Podcast episode, Ayana talks with artist Joshua Crumbly about his upcoming album + new single "Noah". Listen here.
Linus talks to GRAMMY Award-nominated bassist, composer, session musician, arranger and educator Peter Slavov on today’s episode of The Jazz Hole. Originally from Bulgaria, Peter Slavov has been based in NYC since the mid-1990s and recently released his overdue debut album “Little Stories”. Other artists on today’s episode include the Olivia Trummer & Hadar Noiberg Duo and new tracks by Jonathan Greenstein. ----- Jonathan Greenstein - Trumpet Kings Album: Vol. IV Jonathan Greenstein (as), Takeshi Ohbayashi (p), Joshua Crumbly (b) and Jonathan Pinson (d) Jonathan Greenstein - Bookends Album: Vol. IV Jonathan Greenstein (as) and Takeshi Ohbayashi (p) Olivia Trummer & Hadar Noiberg - “The Hawk” & “Privacy” Album: The Hawk Olivia Trummer (p, voc) and Hadar Noiberg (fl, eff, loops) Peter Slavov - Prologue: Glide Album: Little Stories Peter Slavov (b), Dan Kaufman (p), Mark McLean (d), Entcho Todorov (vio) and Adele Stein (cello) Peter Slavov - Gone Album: Little Stories Peter Slavov (b), Nitzan Gavrieli (p), Diego Ramirez (d), Entcho Todorov, Patti Killroy (vio), Jen Herman (viola), Yves Dharamraj (cello) Peter Slavov - Photos Album: Little Stories Peter Slavov (b), John Ellis (ts, b-cl), Nitzan Gavrieli (p) and Diego Ramirez (d) Peter Slavov - History of Beauty Album: Little Stories Peter Slavov (b), John Ellis (ts, b-cl), Nitzan Gavrieli (p), Diego Ramirez (d), Mi Kim (voc) and Marcio Philomena (g) 00:00 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 02:02 - Trumpet Kings - Jonathan Greenstein 04:09 - The Hawk - Olivia Trummer, Hadar Noiberg 11:26 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 13:18 - Prologue: Glide - Peter Slavov 15:34 - Gone - Peter Slavov 19:56 - Interview with Peter Slavov, Part I 28:13 - Photos - Peter Slavov 34:17 - Interview with Peter Slavov, Part II 42:44 - History of Beauty - Peter Slavov 46:00 - Privacy - Olivia Trummer, Hadar Noiberg 52:11 - The Jazz Hole with Linus 53:12 - Bookends - Jonathan Greenstein 56:00 - Finish
Grammy Award, Sirius XM The Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer was born and raised in New York City. Nabaté's debut album called, 'Eclectic Excursions' dropped in the Summer of 2018 and until this point, he's had a glorious journey. During his high school years, Nabaté represented the fifth generation of jazz for the preview of the Louis Armstrong Archives, with trumpet greats Dr. Donald Byrd, "Doc" Cheatham, "Dizzy" Gillespie, Jimmy Owens, Jon Faddis and Wynton Marsalis. Nabaté also appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial, directed by John Singleton and produced by Roy Eaton. While attending Eastman, Nabaté was a featured soloist with the Rochester Pops Orchestra. Nabaté also participated in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz summer program at Aspen Snowmass and its Jazz Gala at the Kennedy Center. He went on to receive his BM from the Eastman School of Music and his MA from New York University. Nabaté has performed, toured and/or recorded with unique artists Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), Christian McBride, Kenny Lattimore, Philip Bailey, Fantasia, Jeffrey Osborne, Jill Scott, Robert Glasper, Dianne Reeves, José James, Savion Glover, Gregory Porter, Freda Payne, Shareefa, Oliver Lake, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Steve Wilson, Muhal Richard Abrams, Matthew Shipp, Charli Persip, Mike Longo, Uri Caine, Buster Williams, Grady Tate, Jay Hoggard, Holt McCallany, the Mingus Big Band, and the José Limon Dance Company. He composed a solo double bass composition called 'Lessons', which was premiered by world-renowned double bassist James VanDemark at Louisiana State University. Nabaté also received a commission from the Festival of New Trumpet Music to compose and premiere a new piece which he entitled, 'We Need Unity in the Community'. Nabaté provided private trumpet instruction to the actor Rob Brown for his role as trumpeter Delmond Lambreaux on the HBO series, 'Treme'. Nabaté was part of both of Christian McBride Big Band's Grammy-winning albums, 'The Good Feeling' (2012) and 'Bringin' It' (2018) as well as the band's performance at the White House for the last concert under President Barack Obama's administration. He has composed five music scores for short films as well as contributing original music to Amos Poe's innovative film, 'Empire II'. He recently completed a score for his first feature called, 'The Rhythm in Blue'. Also, Nabaté is an accomplished producer and host for SiriusXM NBA Radio & he hosts his own weekly television show called 'So Much to Talk About' on MNN (Manhattan cable). Also, a sports trivia expert, Nabaté excelled on TV gameshows, ESPN's Stumb The Schwab and Crackle/NBC Sports' Sports Jeopardy. Nabaté Isles' Eclectic Excursions featuring the joined talents of: Nabaté Isles - Trumpet Alex Han - Alto and Soprano Saxophone David Gilmore - Guitar Theo Hill - Keyboards Brad Jones - Bass Rudy Royston - Drums Special Guests: Alita Moses - Vocals Michael Mayo - Vocals Find Nabaté Isles via social media: Instagram: @nsi.universal Twitter: @NabateIslesSMTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/NabateIslesTrumpet The trumpeter Nabaté Isles recently released his debut album, “Eclectic Excursions,” and it lives up to its title. Mr. Isles has worked most often as a side musician for artists across hip-hop, jazz and R&B, and his own record manages to throw it all together — making room along the way for a few guest singers and rappers — while keeping a firm center. Playing with a quintet, Mr. Isles started off with “Minute Pieces of Wozzeck,” a trippy, motivic original composed around a set of 12-tone harmonies from Alban Berg’s experimental opera, “Wozzeck.” As Adam Klipple’s organ and Joshua Crumbly’s bass hit a stopped-up, two-chord pattern, Mr. Isles retorted with a circular phrase. The guitarist David Gilmore ran snaky improvisations around them, leading your ear gently astray until the rhythm section dropped decisively into a thrashing rock beat. Mr. Isles and the soprano saxophonist Ian Young played in wet blasts of harmony, and Mr. Isles drove headlong into a rugged solo. He pushed hard, leaning into the song’s screwball-fusion vibe but maintaining a measured sense of swing. Midway through the set, the rapper Elzhi — a onetime member of Slum Village, and a guest on the album — guested on two songs, and the band switched comfortably to a radiant, festive mode. Then the vocalist Alita Moses came on to sing “Find Your Light,” a standout from “Eclectic Excursions,” with a strong redolence of Esperanza Spalding’s dreamy neo-soul side. Over a mid-tempo groove, Ms. Moses sang the song’s lyrics of invitation with acrobatic poise, moving deliberately at cloud altitude. Mr. Isles responded with a solo of sharp bursts and grounded rumbles, filling some of the vertical space in the atmosphere below her. Mr. Isles released his album“Eclectic Excursions” in July. A version of this above article appears in print on , on Page C5 of the New York edition with the headline: Contradictions and Fresh Material Abound. ©2019 Building Abundant Success!! 2019 All Rights Reserved Join Me on ~ iHeart Radio @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBAS See you on @ facebook.com/BuildingAbundantSuccess'
Joshua Crumbly is an incredibly talented young musician currently on tour with Kamasi Washington and also on the verge of launching his own solo career with the release of his debut album later on in 2018. It was great to hear about Joshua's bass journey which included lessons from previous BLM interviewee Reggie Hamilton among others. Check out Joshua's website for more info: http://joshuacrumbly.com/ I'm very happy to announce that this episode is brought to you in association with F Bass Handmade Guitars and BassFace Strings! F Bass have been hand making basses for 40 years and offer vintage inspired instruments as well our original modern fretted and fretless designs. http://www.fbass.com BassFace Strings bring quality Electric Bass strings and accessories into Australia to suit the working musician and are currently stocking Ken Smith Electric Bass strings. bassfacestrings@gmail.com. http://www.basslessonsmelbourne.com Please leave a comment and spread the word! http://www.facebook.com/bassguitarlessonsmelbourne
MAGNETIZEDTerence Blanchard (trumpet) is one of the most important musician/composer/band leaders of his generation. His emotionally moving and technically refined playing is considered by many jazz aficionados to recall earlier jazz trumpet styles. Born March 13, 1962, in New Orleans, the only child to parents Wilhelmina and Joseph Oliver Blanchard, a part-time opera singer and insurance company manager, the young Blanchard was encouraged by his father, Joseph Oliver, to learn to play the piano. In the third grade he discovered jazz trumpet when a big band, featuring Alvin Alcorn on trumpet, played at a school assembly. In his teens Blanchard attended the New Orleans Center of Creative Arts, where he studied and played with saxophonist Donald Harrison. While performing with Lionel Hampton's big band, he studied for two years at Rutgers University under the tutelage of Paul Jeffrey and Bill Fielder.In 1982 Blanchard replaced Wynton Marsalis under his recommendation in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, working in that band up to 1986 as lead soloist and musical director. He then co-led a prominent quintet with saxophonist Donald Harrison, recording seven albums for the Concord, Columbia, and Evidence record labels in five years, including a stirring in-concert tribute to the Eric Dolphy/Booker Little ensemble. In the '90s, Blanchard became a leader in his own right, recording for the Columbia label, performing on the soundtracks to Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and Mo' Better Blues, and composing the music for Lee's film Jungle Fever. In fact, Blanchard has written the score for every Spike Lee film since 1991, including Malcolm X, Clockers, Summer of Sam, 25th Hour, Inside Man, and the Hurricane Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke for HBO. With over 40 scores to his credit, Blanchard and Mark Isham are the most sought-after jazz musicians to ever compose for film. In the fall of 2000, Blanchard was named artistic director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Keeping up with his love of live performance and touring, Blanchard also maintains a regular studio presence, recording his own original music for the Columbia, Sony Classical, and Blue Note labels. Albums include The Billie Holiday Songbook (1994), Romantic Defiance (1995), The Heart Speaks (1996), the acclaimed Wandering Moon (2000), Let's Get Lost (2001), Bounce (2003), and especially Flow (2005), which was produced by pianist Herbie Hancock and received two Grammy nominations. Blanchard has been nominated for 11 Grammys and has won four in total, including awards for New York Scene with Blakey (1984) and the soundtrack A Tale of God's Will in 2007. In 2005, Blanchard was part of McCoy Tyner's ensemble that won the Grammy in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category for Illuminations. A quintessential sideman as well as leader, he has worked with prominent jazz players including Cedar Walton, Abbey Lincoln, Joanne Brackeen, Jay McShann, Ralph Peterson, Ed Thigpen, J.J. Johnson, Toots Thielemans, the Olympia Brass Band, Stevie Wonder, Bill Lee, Ray Brown, Poncho Sanchez, Dr. Billy Taylor, Dr. John, Lionel Loueke, Jeff Watts, and many others. Scarecrow Press published his autobiography, Contemporary Cat. By April of 2007, the Monk Institute announced its Commitment to New Orleans initiative, which included the relocation of the program to the campus of Loyola University in New Orleans, spearheaded by Blanchard. During 2007, the Monterey Jazz Festival named Blanchard Artist-in-Residence, and the festival formed a 50th Anniversary All-Stars ensemble featuring trumpeter James Moody, Benny Green, Derrick Hodge, Kendrick Scott, and Nnenna Freelon. In 2008, Blanchard helped scored the hit film Cadillac Records. Signing with Concord Jazz in 2009, he released Choices -- recorded at the Ogden Museum of Art in Blanchard's hometown of New Orleans -- at the end of that summer. In 2011, he paid tribute to the innovative Afro-Cuban recordings of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo by teaming up with Latin jazz percussionist Poncho Sanchez for the studio album Chano y Dizzy! In 2012, Blanchard returned to his film work by scoring the soundtrack to director George Lucas' WWII action/drama Red Tails.“I’ve always believed that in life, what you keep in your mind is what you draw to yourself.” That’s how trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchardexplains the title of his 20th album, Magnetic, which finds a stunning variety of sounds and styles pulled together by the irresistible force of Blanchard’s vision.That credo stems directly from Blanchard’s personal faith; raised in the Christian church, he has turned in recent years to Buddhism after meditating with Herbie Hancock while on the road with the legendary pianist. The idea of a spiritual magnetism “is a basic concept in any type of religion,” he says. “Both Christianity and Buddhism have forms of meditation - one’s called prayer and one’s called chanting. But it’s all about drawing on those things to help you attain enlightenment in your life at the same time that you’re trying to give back to the community.”Magnetic gives expression to that belief through the combined voices of Blanchard’s always-scintillating quintet. Its latest incarnation brings together longtime members Brice Winston (saxophone) and Kendrick Scott (drums) with pianist Fabian Almazan, who made his debut with the group on its 2009 album Choices, and its newest member, 21-year-old bass prodigy Joshua Crumbly. In addition, they’re joined by a trio of remarkable special guests: master bassist Ron Carter, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, and guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke.The vast array of approaches undertaken by that ensemble is striking, from the blistering bop of “Don’t Run” to the fragile ballad “Jacob’s Ladder;” the psychedelic electronic haze of “Hallucinations” to the urgent edginess of “Another Step.” As Blanchard says, “It’s a wide range of musical ideas that come together through the efforts of the guys in the band.”Magnetic marks Blanchard’s return to Blue Note Records, which last released A Tale of God’s Will, his triumphant 2007 requiem for his home city, New Orleans, in the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. That harrowingly emotional song cycle is just one of many large-scale projects Blanchard has undertaken in recent years. Since first writing music for Spike Lee’s 1990 jazz-set movie Mo’ Better Blues, Blanchard has become a renowned film composer with over 50 scores to his credit, most recently the WWII drama Red Tails for producer George Lucas. This summer, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis will combine forces to premiere Blanchard’s first opera, Champion, an “Opera in Jazz” based on the story of the gay boxing champion Emile Griffith. This follows his recent score for Emily Mann’s Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.After the broad scope of such lofty undertakings, returning to a small group setting can be a challenge. “You get accustomed to having so many different colors at your disposal,” he says. “So I try to figure out a way to have as much diversity in everything that we play, the same expansive color palette as when you have an orchestra and voices.”One way that Blanchard expands his palette on Magnetic is through the use of electronics, creating an overdriven, electric guitar-like sound for his horn during “Pet Step Sitter’s Theme Song” or brewing the mind-altering atmospherics of “Hallucinations.” The latter tune, though titled by Blanchard’s 14-year-old daughter, also touches on the lifelong spiritual search evoked by the album-opening title track and “Central Focus,” which was originally recorded twenty years ago on Blanchard’s album Simply Stated. “When chanting for meditation,” he says, “you can have those moments of reflection that will bring new ideas to you. Some people may not call them hallucinations, but I think they’re all related in some fashion.”Not every tune comes from such profound motives. The hard-bopping “Don’t Run” was written solely with the intention of allowing the band to joust with Ravi Coltrane’s soprano and Ron Carter’s mighty bass runs. The title was inspired by a taunt from Carter to Blanchard, asking only half-jokingly when the trumpeter would call on the legendary bassist’s services. “Stop running from me, man,” Blanchard recalls him saying, and when Carter speaks, you listen.Coltrane’s contributions, which also include a taut, powerhouse turn on tenor for “Pet Step Sitter’s Theme Song,” came about simply because Blanchard was blown away by the saxophonist’s latest album, Spirit Fiction. “Ravi has developed a style and a sound that’s very unique,” Blanchard explains. “It’s an incredible feat given who his father was and what instrument his father played. But his being on my record has nothing to do with any of that; his being on my record is simply due to the fact that I love the way he plays.”The same goes for Benin-born Lionel Loueke, who first came to prominence through Blanchard’s quintet before becoming widely renowned as one of the most innovative guitarists and vocalists in modern jazz. “He’s a very unique talent,” Blanchard says. “Lionel always brings a certain spirit and energy to any project that he’s a part of.”Blanchard also readily sings the praises of his core group, which has been evolving over two years together to reach the deeply attuned point at which Magnetic finds them. “I’ve always appreciated the artistry of Brice and Kendrick,” he says of the band’s two veterans. “They’ve very seriously committed to developing their own unique styles of playing.”Of newcomer Crumbly, he says, “Josh is a young guy who’s very talented and brings a lot to the group.” And of Almazan, he continues, “Fabian has been growing by leaps and bounds. His harmonic knowledge has taken the band in interesting directions and he colors things in ways that I think are very fresh and forward-thinking.”So enamored is the bandleader of Almazan’s talents that he affords the pianist a solo spotlight, the captivating “Comet.” Almazan, Blanchard says, “plays with such grace and beauty. We did five or six takes and all of them were so beautiful that it was a hard to choose just one.”Each member of the group provides their own contributions to the album: Crumbly, the lovely and delicate “Jacob’s Ladder;” Scott, the forceful, rhythmically intense “No Borders Just Horizons;” Winston the lithe and intricate “Time To Spare;” and Almazan an “emotional roller coaster” dedicated to his mother, “Pet Step Sitters Theme Song,” which is later reprised as “Another Step.” “We had so much fun playing that tune that we just couldn’t leave it,” Blanchard explains. I thought it showed the diverse nature of the group, when you see the directions that it goes into, totally different from the first take.”In his role as mentor to his younger bandmates, Blanchard takes the mantle from his own onetime mentor, Art Blakey. Stressing the importance for young musicians to compose as well as improvise, Blanchard recalls the legendary drummer’s advice: “Art Blakey told us that composition was the path to finding your own voice. If you improvise, you don’t sit down and reflect coldly on what it is you’re playing because you’re moving so quickly onto the next thing. Whereas when you compose, you have to sit down and really contemplate what each note means and how you get from one to the next. That in itself will create a style.”Terence Blanchard’s own style continues to evolve and expand in exciting and compelling fashion. Magnetic is sure to capture listeners with an attractive power nearly impossible to resist.To Visit Terence Blanchard's website CLICK HERE
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