Terence Blanchard : NPR

Opinion: Black Protest Is Music. Learning The Melody Isn't Enough

Jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. Henry Adebonojo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Henry Adebonojo/Courtesy of the artist

Opinion: Black Protest Is Music. Learning The Melody Isn't Enough

June 18, 2020 • Terence Blanchard, the acclaimed jazz trumpeter and composer, says the fate of the new civil rights movement will depend on the well-meaning outsiders who show up to support it.

How The Music of Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman' Turned a Nazi Slogan Into an Oscar Nod

Terence Blanchard reveals his creative process to compose "Blood and Soil" for the 2018 Spike Lee film BlacKkKlansman. NPR hide caption

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NPR

How The Music of Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman' Turned a Nazi Slogan Into an Oscar Nod

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

February 20, 2019 • Composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard reveals the creative process that led to BlacKkKlansman's "Blut und Boden (Blood and Soil)."

Oscar-Nominated Terence Blanchard On 30 Years Of Jazz And Film Scoring For Spike Lee

Henry Adebonojo

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

Oscar-Nominated Terence Blanchard On 30 Years Of Jazz And Film Scoring For Spike Lee

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

February 15, 2019 • Trumpeter Terence Blanchard has career spanning three decades in both jazz and film scoring. We dive into his work with Spike Lee, his E-Collective band and a new commission.

Oscar-Nominated Terence Blanchard On 30 Years Of Jazz And Film Scoring For Spike Lee

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All The 2019 Grammy Winners Who've Stopped By The Tiny Desk

Kacey Musgraves made a point of showcasing her gentler side during her 2015 Tiny Desk Concert, but as it so often does, rowdiness prevailed in the end. Lydia Thompson /NPR hide caption

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Lydia Thompson /NPR

All The 2019 Grammy Winners Who've Stopped By The Tiny Desk

February 11, 2019 • We're approaching 11 years and more than 800 concerts behind the Tiny Desk. Here's a look at the 2019 Grammy winners who've passed through our offices.

Terence Blanchard's 'Dear Jimi' Isn't Just A Tribute, It's A Healing Force

Terence Blanchard's new album with the E-Collective, LIVE, comes out April 20. Henry Adebonojo /Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Henry Adebonojo /Courtesy of the artist

Review

Terence Blanchard's 'Dear Jimi' Isn't Just A Tribute, It's A Healing Force

WBGO

March 22, 2018 • Blanchard's new record LIVE focuses on black art and black lives. For this Jimi Hendrix homage, he puts down the trumpet and pitch-bends the mournful melody on synth.

Terence Blanchard is the guest on this week's Piano Jazz. Henry Adebonojo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Henry Adebonojo/Courtesy of the artist

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz

Terence Blanchard On Piano Jazz

May 26, 2017 • The Grammy award-winning trumpeter and composer joins Marian McPartland to perform standards like "I Thought About You" with bassist Gary Mazzaroppi.

Terence Blanchard On Piano Jazz

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In Pursuit Of A More Diverse Night At The Opera

Aubrey Allicock (right) portrays boxing champ Emile Griffith in his prime, along with Andrew McLaughlin, in Terence Blanchard's Champion, at Washington National Opera. Scott Suchman/Washington National Opera hide caption

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Scott Suchman/Washington National Opera

Review

Deceptive Cadence

In Pursuit Of A More Diverse Night At The Opera

March 6, 2017 • How do you attract a more diverse audience at the opera? One answer is to produce operas with characters that look more like the general citizenry.

Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-Collective: Tiny Desk Concert

Tiny Desk Concert with Terence Blanchard. Lani Milton/NPR hide caption

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Lani Milton/NPR

Tiny Desk

Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-Collective: Tiny Desk Concert

August 5, 2015 • The New Orleans trumpeter wasn't thinking about Eric Garner, Michael Brown or #blacklivesmatter when he first assembled this funky new band. But then it became a way to ward off despair.

Terence Blanchard Feat. The E-Collective: Tiny Desk Concert

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'Miles Davis And Gil Evans: Still Ahead' On JazzSet

Terence Blanchard plays the role of Miles Davis' trumpet with commitment and emotion at Monterey. Cole Thompson hide caption

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Cole Thompson

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

'Miles Davis And Gil Evans: Still Ahead' On JazzSet

WBGO

August 28, 2014 • In three collaborations in the late 1950s, Gil Evans and Miles Davis steered their projects into a new era for jazz. Terence Blanchard plays Davis' role with commitment and emotion in this set.

Wayne Shorter. Robert Ashcroft/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Robert Ashcroft/Courtesy of the artist

Best Music Of 2013

The 2013 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll

December 18, 2013 • We asked 137 jazz journalists to pick their favorite albums that came out this year. Out of over 700 nominees, here are their collective top 50 picks, along with top finishers in the Latin jazz, vocal, debut and reissue categories.

Terence Blanchard Quintet, Live In Concert

The Terence Blanchard Quintet performs at the 2013 Newport Jazz Festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

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Adam Kissick for NPR

Newport Jazz Festival

Terence Blanchard Quintet, Live In Concert

WBGO

August 4, 2013 • As a whole, the trumpeter's high-functioning band reliably serves up modernism as post-bop jazz. It welcomes a guest turn from guitarist Lionel Loueke, making this band a rare six-man quintet.

Terence Blanchard Quintet At Newport

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Terence Blanchard Turns A Tragic Champion Into An Opera Hero

Terence Blanchard is one of today's foremost jazz composers. Nitin Vadukul/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Nitin Vadukul/Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Terence Blanchard Turns A Tragic Champion Into An Opera Hero

June 15, 2013 • The jazz composer's latest project is an opera based on the life of Emile Griffith, a gay boxer who became a world champion in the 1960s — at a price.

Terence Blanchard Turns A Tragic Champion Into An Opera Hero

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Music Interviews

Terence Blanchard Considers Life's 'Choices'

October 21, 2009 • The New Orleans trumpeter's newest CD, Choices, delves into choices we make as individuals and as a society. He returned to his hometown to record the project, and continues to ask questions about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Terence Blanchard Considers Life's 'Choices'

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Terence Blanchard: Free Will And 'Choices'

Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard is a throwback to the socially engaged jazzman of the 1960s. Jenny Bagert hide caption

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Jenny Bagert

Review

Music Reviews

Terence Blanchard: Free Will And 'Choices'

August 24, 2009 • Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard is a throwback to the socially engaged jazzman of the 1960s: He's as wrapped up in politics and society as he is in scales and improvisation. His new album, Choices, ponders questions about free will and personal responsibility.

Terence Blanchard: Free Will And 'Choices'

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Music Interviews

Terence Blanchard on Scoring Spike Lee Joints

February 15, 2008 • Terence Blanchard, an internationally renowned jazz trumpeter, has composed music for all of director Spike Lee's films — from Malcolm X to Inside Man. He talks to Farai Chideya about the relationship between music and the movies.

Terence Blanchard on Scoring Spike Lee Joints

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Music Interviews

Terence Blanchard: Musical Musings on 'God's Will'

Fresh Air

October 25, 2007 • The latest CD from New Orleans trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is A Tale of God's Will, whose subtitle is "A Requiem for Katrina." Parts of the recording were heard in Spike Lee's HBO documentary When the Levees Broke.

Terence Blanchard: Musical Musings on 'God's Will'

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Concerts

Terence Blanchard in Concert at Jazz Fest

WBGO

May 17, 2007 • Terence Blanchard was born in New Orleans — a place where it means something to take up the trumpet. The trumpeter honors the legacy of jazz legend Louis Armstrong at the 2007 University of Michigan Jazz Festival recorded by JazzSet.

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Concerts

Monk Institute of Jazz 20th Anniversary Concert

WBGO

October 4, 2007 • Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman, Patti Austin and Stevie Wonder celebrate the Institute that offers young musicians college-level training from the masters. The namesake — Thelonious Monk — was born October 10, 1917, and would be 90 this fall. Hear the concert.

Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz 20th Anniversary Concert on JazzSet

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Monterey Jazz Festival

Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in Concert

WBGO

September 23, 2007 • Players from 17 high schools were chosen for the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. After studying to perform some of the most challenging big-band music available, the high-school all-stars perform alongside Terence Blanchard at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Studio Sessions

Trumpeter Terence Blanchard Performs Live in 4A

August 16, 2007 • Born and raised among the jazz greats of New Orleans, renowned trumpeter Terence Blanchard captured the city's devastation in his film score for Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke. He discusses his latest project, A Tale of God's Will (a requiem for Katrina).

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Favorite Sessions

Blanchard Rebuilds New Orleans in Song

WBGO

August 14, 2007 • Part of jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard's A Tale of God's Will served as the soundtrack to Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke documentary about Hurricane Katrina. Blanchard shares two solo piano performances with WBGO's Josh Jackson.

Review

Director's Cuts

Music DVDs That Beat Expectations

May 6, 2007 • Occasionally a music DVD comes along that exceeds expectations. Shanda, a documentary about Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mtukudzi, and Flow,a look at the jazz of trumpeter Terence Blanchard, go the extra mile.

Music DVDs That Beat Expectations

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