Terence Blanchard

Comments (0) By Jonathan Cunningham Thursday, Feb 7 2008

The man with the golden horn

Details

The Monterey Jazz Festival takes place at 8 p.m. Tuesday, February 12, at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $15 to $100. Call 561-832-7469, or visit www.kravis.org.

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Although there are a ton of New Orleans-based musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina who are working to resurrect their once-glorious hometown, only a few faces have stood out as leaders of this musical renaissance. Allen Toussaint and Harry Connick Jr. are two of the most often quoted, but Terence Blanchard has been doing his part as well. And he's letting his trumpet do most of the talking for him. Listen to the music on Spike Lee's epic movie When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, and you'll hear four of Blanchard's compositions. He's also got a new Grammy-nominated CD out, A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina), that artistically screams out for those without a voice and draws further attention to New Orleans in the aftermath of the devastating storm. His music isn't always somber, and he's got a ton of upbeat jazz rockers in his repertoire, many of which will be heard by audiences at the Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour, which hits West Palm Beach this week. The concert is being heralded as a meeting of three generations of jazz masters, as the lineup for this performance will also feature saxophonist James Moody, drummer Kendrick Scott, vocalist Nnenna Freelon, bassist Derrick Hodge, and pianist Benny Green — all of whom have been involved with the Monterey Jazz Festival for years. If you're into jazz, this is a concert that deserves your support.