A Modern Jazz Marvel

Posted by Charlee Redman on 04/14 at 01:06 PM

Terence Blanchard has often been called a “contemporary cool cat,” a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader born from the vibrant history of New Orleans jazz.

Accompanied by his quintet, the jazz trumpeter will perform in the Schwab Auditorium at 7:30pm. Before the concert, ticket-holders can attend an informal conversation with the artists as part of the Artistic Viewpoints series.

Blanchard has won several Grammys for his music and written and performed scores of more than 20 films with director Spike Lee. His piece “Levees” from the HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts is simply haunting. You can easily imagine the man standing above the wrecked city in the moonlight, his dirge-like melodies winding through the sultry night air.

His best known album, Let’s Get Lost (2001), features Blanchard’s unique style, often billed as “African fusion.” The powerful trumpet is always cool, but at once expresses something ineffably urgent and relaxed, its fluid melodies dripping from the trumpet in complex solos and masterful bouts of improvisation.

Blanchard’s most recent album, 2009’s Choices, is an artistic manifesto of sorts, blending his soulful trumpet and skillful composition with a humanistic intellectual agenda. With a contemporary twist, he explores the choices we make as individuals and society members.

Check out a live video of Terence Blanchard’s colorful style!

Tuesday April 20th, 7:30pm
Schwab Auditorium
Tickets $36 adults, $15 UP students, $29 for 18 and under
(or call 814-863-0255)

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