Terence Blanchard: Scoring Cinema

The music used in a film often sets the mood and tone for whatever each scene depicts.  Director Spike Lee is notable for having exceptional scores in many of his films, such as “Malcolm X,” “Do The Right Thing,” “25^th Hour,” “Summer of Sam” and “Inside Man.”  These unforgettable openings and the majority of the scores used in Lee’s films were created by accomplished jazz artist Terence Blanchard.  His decorated career includes five Grammy Awards, as well as Golden Globe and Emmy nominations, and this year he composed the music for the film “Red Tails.”

One of Blanchard’s most recent projects for which he also joined Spike Lee is “When the Levees Broke.”  The film, divided into four parts, won several Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and multiple NAACP Image Awards.  Focusing on the destruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the film is a documentary about the survivors and the struggle to rebuild their lives after facing adversity.  The haunting, looming score gives the documentary the mood of an intensely emotional drama, although it is a work of nonfiction.  According to a press release for the film, Blanchard’s compositions received praise in reviews by publications such as The New York Times, Jazztimes, Vanity Fair, People Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.

The film was especially personal for Blanchard because he was born in the city of New Orleans in 1962.  According to his website, Blanchard still works in New Orleans regularly, and in 2007 he released the album “A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina).”  That year, the CD won a Grammy Award for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.”

Musicians worldwide have recognized Blanchard’s contribution to modern jazz music, and he is now the Artistic Director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance.  The Institute is based at Loyola University in New Orleans, and it includes a two-year college course that is highly selective of the most exceptionally talented young musicians. According to Blanchard’s website, the program “is expected to become a model college jazz education program for the world.”  Students study tuition-free and are also provided with room and board, and the “performance-based” education provides them with the experience of “major jazz musicians and educators.”

Thelonious Monk was one of jazz’s greatest innovators, helping pioneer the bebop genre, and the Institute’s annual International Jazz Competitions recognize performers who also create unique and inventing sounds.  Terence Blanchard has judged the competitions in the past, as well as fellow Institute members Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and others.  According to the Institute’s website, they work with the United States State Department and United Nations to include international players in the competition, as well, and the Institute prides itself in finding “a field of talented young artists.”

The art of fitting music to film is a form that Terence Blanchard has perfected through his mastering of instrumentation.  With the ability to perform, compose and conduct music, he is an extraordinary talent whose work will last for generations.  This weekend, he will take part in the 37^th International Trumpet Guild Conference at Columbus State University, along with renowned percussionist Poncho Sanchez.  According to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, the performances will include “a little duel between Blanchard and Sanchez’s own trumpet player, Ron Blake.”  My money is on Terence.

- Taylor Burns