TERENCE BLANCHARD — Jazz in Film (review)

TERENCE BLANCHARD — Jazz in Film album cover

Album · 1999 · Hard Bop

4.5/5 · 2011-03-06
Matt

A few great trumpet players have come from New Orleans with Terence Blanchard being another addition to the list. His first professional work was with Lionel Hampton in his orchestra but in 1982 Wynton Marsalis was leaving the Jazz Messengers and suggested to Art Blakey to get Terence who joined and became the musical director for the band as well as the trumpet player. He released his first album back in 1984 with the saxophonist Donald Harrison but also was getting a lot of work composing and playing film scores. Spike Lee films are the majority and he has done them all for Spike since his first "Jungle Fever" in 1991 and up to 1999 he has composed thirteen scores which was the date for "Jazz In Film's " release. Terence Blanchard in his own notes tells as he had not planned to do film scores as how he met Spike Lee was when he was teaching Denzel Washington to play for the film "Mo' Better Blues" and Spike when he heard Terence just playing a bit of funk asked him to do the score for "Jungle Fever" It is not surprising that Terence produced and arranged the entire album for "Jazz In Film" with all his experience he has and that certainly shows with the quality of this production with a high standard from his take on these classic jazz film themes which begin from the 1950.s till the last being "Clockers" which is one of Terence's own scores that he originally wrote for the film of the same name back in 1995. The band is Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Joe Henderson, yes that Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone and Donald Harrison another New Orleans local who has played with Terence from the begining with the Jazz Messengers and lately he had been busy running his own band is back for a reunion on his alto for this project. Kenny Kirkland is on piano and has played with the Marsalis brothers Wynton and Branford on numerous occassions but also with Elvin Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Clarke and does not mind jumping out of jazz as he has also worked with Sting, Youssou N'Dour and Ben E King just to name a few. Reginald Veal is on bass and Carl Allen is drumming and his past credits apart from playing with most of the band in the past is Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Bennie Green and Art Farmer just to name a few. Steve Turre also makes an appearance on trombone in three tunes. One other addition to the music is an orchestra but there are two different ones as the first session was recorded in only two days in Los Angeles which provided six of the compositions with the last three recorded in New York in just one day in March and April 1998 respectively.

"A Street Car Named Desire" begins the album with a lovely relaxed intro from Terence and Donald Harrison on alto with Steve bringing in the trombone but things bop up and it is Steve Turre on trombone who solos first with Donald and his alto following and both put in stellar efforts with both solos moving at a quick tempo but it all comes back to the theme and after Terence solos with a more laid back approach by just stretching those notes out with the theme finishing the tune off. The next track "Chinatown" is the album highlight with just a quartet and the orchestra with Kenny Kiirkland on piano playing some lovely delicate stuff but the trumpet playing from Terence is just beautiful in this slow composition and Kenny on piano does not overplay leaving space as Terence did before and again with his second trumpet solo for this number. The orchestra comes in but does not overpower and is provides beautiful texture for this exquisite composition from Jerry Goldsmith. "The Subterraneans" by Andre Previn is next and also Joe Henderson's first appearance on the album with a beautiful laid back solo with Terence following on trumpet which just keeps building intensity throughout with the orchestra coming to the fore to finish this off with Terence playing superb high jabs with in his ending. Two Duke Ellington compositions are covered "Degas' Racing World" and" Anatomy Of A Murder" with its rythmic intro which provides superb feel and moments. Kenny's piano solo in amongst this is outstanding and the tune has one great thumper for the theme which keeps returning throughout. Another laid back beauty follows with Quincy Jones's composition the "Pawnbroker" just listen to Terence and Donald's solos. Not all the muscians listed are in every number with Joe Henderson only particapating in five, Steve Turre three and Donald Harrison three but Terence Blanchard, Kenny Kirkland and the rythmn section are in everyone and Terence show cases his trumpet with tremendous feel for everyone of the film compositions he has chosen for the album. Nine in all with "Taxi Driver","The Man With The Golden Arm" and "Clockers" being the others I did not get room to mention but all done to that high standard.

The album captures the feel and atmosphere of these films with that noir style and the orchestra is never over powering and provides superb texture. I am not one who normally like strings and jazz together and I more lean towards usual Bop set up with just a fairly small band but this one back from 1999 is a rare exception. This is my favourite of the albums that I have heard from Terence still today with the different approach that was taken. The arranging is immaculate simply because the orchestra was kept at bay so we can all hear the band with all those wonderful solos and interpretations on the scores. Sadly Kenny Kirkland has left us only two months after the last session in April 1998 due to heart problems and he will be missed.