Terence Blanchard - Jazz In Film (Film Score Anthology)

The jazz soundtrack must provide musical accompaniment to a movie and, of course, it must swing. That's what New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard does so well on this recording, which features noir-nuanced renditions of nine film selections from 1951 to 1995. Blanchard, a graduate of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and a noted film composer in his own right, is joined by two Jazz Messengers alumni, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison and trombonist Steve Turre. The late pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Carl Allen complete the rhythm section while special guest tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson offers his elliptical improvisations, with conductor Steve Mercurio's simpatico strings weaving a finely textured harmonic quilt. Blanchard takes Alex North's "A Streetcar Named Desire" down home with Turre's Coltrane-quoted solo and Harrison's Bird-like nod to Gershwin. Jerry Goldsmith's steely "Chinatown" is rendered mournfully, and André Previn's "The Subterraneans" is buoyed by Veal's delicious walking bass lines and Henderson's neocubist sax lines. Duke Ellington--who wrote the book on jazz soundtracks--is loved madly by the crew on his immortal "Anatomy of a Murder." Quincy Jones's "The Pawnbroker" is peppered by Allen's drum-brushed, soft-shoe rhythms, as is Bernard Hermann's "Taxi Driver," the former with Harrison's soulful horn work and the latter featuring Henderson's moody, melodramatic musings. Elmer Bernstein's "Man with the Golden Arm" has a fast-paced, fugal introduction that segues into a boppish melodic line, and Blanchard saves the best for last on his own spectral score for Spike Lee's antihood movie, "Clockers," with the trumpeter's pathos-pulsed solo and Kirkland's spotlight, which reminds us of why we will miss him. --Eugene Holley Amazon.com

Fantastic!

Jazz trumpeter and all-round music maestro Terence Blanchard puts his magical spin on 9 movie themes on this album from 1999 and I found it a delight all the way through. Some of the themes ("A Streetcar Named Desire", "The Pawnbroker", "Taxi Driver", "Clockers") I was already quite familiar with but most of the others were completely new to me. Blanchard's production is spot on and his arrangements and his lush, swelling orchestrations (conducted by J.A.C. Redford & Steven Mercurio) are just spellbinding. The whole affair is not quite on the same level as his recent A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) album (I still feel that that one is nothing less than a masterpiece) but it still very much merits a whole five stars.

He's joined here by (the legendary) Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Donald Harrison on alto saxophone, Steve Turre on trombone, Kenny Kirkland on piano, Reginald Veal on bass and Carl Allen on drums. The band is simply awesome, both as a rhythm section but also on their improvisations. I can't say I have any favourites songs; it's all good stuff, but "Degas' Racing World" is particularly charming and "Man With The Golden Arm" is great fun. I haven't seen the movie in question, but I'm guessing that it's some form of caper flick. I'm going to go seek the movie out, just to see if I'm right or wrong.

If this was Blanchard telling filmmakers what he's capable of when it comes to arranging really moving movie scores, surely he must've had them lining up at his door after this. Fantastic. I definitely need more Terence Blanchard CDs!

PS. This album is dedicated to the memory of pianist Kenny Kirkland, who tragically died towards the end of 1998. (May he rest in peace). June 9, 2008

Like No Other

My title says it all and I won't go into a long review because listening (to the cd) will make you a believer. I bought the CD back when it was first released and somehow lost it. This soundtrack has been haunting me for years. And now amazon gave me the opportunnity to download it in MP3 format. There are just so many memories this cd stirs from a time I was easily imppresionable. Listening to it again brings all the memories running back into my head. This isn't the only great work Mr. Blanchard has done. My hats off to a a man who is a true professional at his art. There is simply no one better. June 3, 2008

Evocative Jazz

There are three compelling reasons to buy Jazz in Film.
Firstly, Terence Blanchard has enhanced his considerable reputation as a creator and arranger of great music. Listen to his elegant solo on Streetcar Named Desire.
Secondly, this cd showcases probably the last recorded work of two incredible musicians: pianist Kenny Kirkland, and saxophone giant Joe Henderson. Henderson's solo on Duke Ellington's almost-forgotten theme Degas' Racing World is a masterpiece of improvisation. Like wise Kirkland's playing is superb throughout.
Thirdly, the work of long-time Blanchard associate Donald Harrison. Harrison is featured on three tracks. Check out his solo on Quincy Jones' The Pawnbroker.
Blanchard's goal of wanting to use a jazz ensemble to drive an orchestra has certainly been achieved. Buy it!

Jazz In Film (Film Score Anthology) December 31, 2007

Terence Blanchard is awesome!

Another painfully under-rated trumpet player. Terence has a wonderful sound, great technique and is an extremely creative player and composer. He has written the music for an unbelievable number of films and yet still is overlooked far too often. I met Terence in February with Quincy Troupe and also saw him perform live that previous night. The guy was on fire, and just put his guts into the horn the whole night. It was really amazing. Terence also makes great albums, and this is probably my favorite of those that I've heard. Here, he plays a bunch of movie themes and plays them in a jazz idiom. There are great players by his side on this album as well, including Joe Henderson, Steve Turre, Kenny Kirkland, Donald Harrison (great alto playing) and others. I particularly loved the rendition of "Chinatown", because it is a wonderful trumpet feature with its huanting melody and Terence adds a great modern jazz flavor to it. Also, Chinatown with Jack Nicholson is one of my all-time favorite movies. Kenny Kirkland has a great introduction on the piano. This is one of my favorite performances, and probably my favorite performance of a film theme. However, the rest of the album is also excellent. The swinging version of "A Streetcar Named Desire". The swing in the middle is great and Steve Turre takes an awesome trombone solo, quoting "It Don't Mean A Thing" and hinting at lots of excellent motifs. Terence finishes off the song very well. He takes an accurate tribute to Duke Ellington with the big band-flavored "Anatomy Of A Murder", which is Ellington at its finest. Like "Chinatown", he modernizes an already classic composition and updates it. Another track I absolutely love is the rendition of Quincy Jones's "The Pawnbroker" theme. Terence plays the theme with heart and beauty and it swings like no other when Donald Harrison takes a perfect alto saxophone solo. An absolute knockout. Terence also takes a great solo on this song, and the backgrounds during the alto solo are perfectly written in. The theme to "Taxi Driver" is also emotionally played and will make you want to hear it again. Another definite favorite of mine is "The Man With the Golden Arm". The orchestra in the background is a perfect setting and Terence plays extremely heroically, absolutely pasting some double high G's throughout his solo and the ending (what a great note to end on!). Joe Henderson stops by and solos on tenor saxophone with amazing quality. The album ends with Terence's own "Clockers" composition, and this is a slow, winding piece that will make you not want to get up off the couch. Terence shows some great trumpet playing skills here, as he does in the other songs.

This album is very under-rated, I would recommend anyone who likes jazz or wants to hear more of the man behind the music to movies like Malcolm X, Mo' Betta Blues, Jungle Fever, and so many others it would take forever to name them all. Get it! October 13, 2003

Yes, this was Kenny Kirkland's last album

Will all the talent on this CD, a jazz fan can't go wrong.

For those fans of the late piano genius, Kenny Kirkland, this is a must-have CD. Not only was it the last recording he made, but his performance is so sensually exquisite. Oh, how he is missed by all who knew and loved him. January 3, 2003

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