Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard was born on March 13, 1962 in New Orleans. As one of the fire-tempered "Young Lions" of the early 80s, Blanchard has been on the cutting edge of the resurgence of hard-bop and other modern jazz styles for his entire adult life. With a deeply soulful sound rooted in the blues, but accepting of sonic innovations of the 1960s and beyond, Blanchard's creative musical voice has been described as "profound" and multi-dimensional, stretching the limits and definition of what musical expression--both inside and outside of jazz--can be.

Terence began to play the trumpet in elementary school, and was coached at home by his opera-singing father. In high school, Terence was tutored by the legendary New Orleans pianist and jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis. By 1980, he was attending Rutgers University in New Jersey on a music scholarship; one of Terence’s professors was so impressed with his talent that he negotiated a touring gig for Terence with vibraphone icon Lionel Hampton.  In 1983, fellow New Orleans native and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis recommended Blanchard as his replacement in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the influential and volcanic hard-bop “university” which was a musical proving ground for young jazz soloists and composers since the mid-50s. Blakey had launched the careers of many jazz legends, and his leadership allowed Blanchard to solidify his improvisational and compositional ideas. By 1985, Terence was ready to graduate from Blakey’s group; he and fellow Messenger saxophonist Donald Harrison split off to form a new project which would last through the end of the decade. The Blanchard/Harrison group recorded albums for the Concord, Evidence and Columbia labels, including the 1984 Grand Prix du Disque winner, New York Second Line.

In 1990, Blanchard pursued a solo career. His burgeoning output as a composer came to fruition through an association with the film director and actor Spike Lee, who had recognized Blanchard’s immense talents in the late 80s when he was a soloist on Lee’s soundtracks to School Days, Do the Right Thing and Mo’ Better Blues. Starting with 1991’s Jungle Fever, some of Terence’s compositional work for Lee’s screen and television films include Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, Get on the Bus, Summer of Sam, Bamboozled, She Hate Me, Inside Man and 2006’s four-hour Hurricane Katrina documentary for HBO, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Terence’s trumpet can be heard on nearly fifty film scores; forty bear his unmistakable compositional style.

In addition to his soundtracks, Terence has recorded eight solo albums for the Columbia and Sony Classical labels, including Simply Stated, Romantic Defiance, Jazz in Film, Let’s Get Lost and Wandering Moon, all with critical success. Terence released 2003’s Bounce on Blue Note Records, following it up with Flow in 2005, which was produced by legendary pianist Herbie Hancock. Refusing to be constrained by archetypal jazz instrumentation and sound, Flow is Blanchard’s vision of a future where jazz, world music, funk, aural soundscapes and abstraction co-exist.

Lauded for both his soundtracks and small group work, Blanchard’s awards for his contributions to film include multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Mo’ Better Blues, The Heart Speaks, The Promised Land and The 25th Hour, as well as instrumental Grammy nominations for solos from Wandering Moon and Let’s Get Lost. In 2005, Terence won a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for his participation on McCoy Tyner’s Illuminations, an award he shared with Tyner, Gary Bartz, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash.

Terence continues to record and tour with both “Young Lions” and legends of the jazz world, and is the Artistic Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in Los Angeles.

Terence won a Grammy® Award for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album” for A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina) on February 10, 2008. He premiered the Requiem at MJF/50 in September 2007, when he was the Artist-in Residence. He was also a key member the 50th Anniversary MJF All-Star Band along with James Moody on saxophone, Benny Green on piano, Derrick Hodge on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums and vocalist Nnenna Freelon as they performed a twenty-two state, fifty-four date tour from January to March 2008.

1994, 1999, 2004, 2007

	Saturday Night - September 20, 2008 / 9:00pm
	Night Club / Bill Berry Stage