Live (Terence Blanchard album)

Live is an album by American jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard.[5] The album was released on April 20, 2018 by Blue Note. This is the second album for Blanchard's band E-Collective, with Charles Altura on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano and synthesizers, David Ginyard on bass, and Oscar Seaton on drums.[6]

Live
Live album by
Terence Blanchard
ReleasedApril 20, 2018
VenueThe Bop Stop, Cleveland, OH
The Dakota, St Paul, MN
The Wyley Theater, Dallas, TX
GenreJazz
Length1:15:47
LabelBlue Note
ProducerRobin Burgess, Terence Blanchard, Frank Wolf
Terence Blanchard chronology
Breathless
(2015)		 Live
(2018)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
AllMusic[2]
Financial Times[3]
Tom HullB+[4]

Background

Just as the preceding album Breathless, the present record explores the painful themes of racism, gun violence, and hate in the modern America. The E-Collective includes Blanchard on trumpet, playing alongside guitarist Charles Altura, pianist Fabian Almazan, drummer Oscar Seaton, and bassist David “DJ” Ginyard.[7] The "Live" tour also featured Tondrae Kemp on vocals. Live’s tracks were recorded during the concerts performed in three cities where confrontations between the police and African Americans escalated into unconscionable tragedy.[8] In Cleveland, a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot by police in 2014; in Dallas, five police officers were killed in an ambush in 2016; and in St. Paul, just days before the Dallas murders, a police officer fatally shot a black motorist during a traffic stop outside the city.[9]

The five out of seven compositions in the album are written by Blanchard. Track 7 features the voice of Dr. Cornel West.

Reception

Lucas Phillips of The Boston Globe wrote "From the first moment of Terence Blanchard’s “Live,” a moody drone creeping up from beneath the applause, there is the unmistakable feeling that something drastic took place just before it. It’s like the scene in a movie right after a violent climax where everyone is left to figure out what the heck just happened: Cue the music... The result is the honest, troubled vision of an onlooker trying to bring into sound the feelings of desolation, empowerment, anger, and confusion those incidents brought to their communities."[10]

Sammy Stein of Something Else! noted "... a great album musically, and it is clear Terence Blanchard has surrounded himself with accomplished and devastatingly capable musicians, well able to interpret his compositional works. I would like to hear this in concert, as it feels a little like some of the energy and freneticism is lost in the recording. The noise is softened, the aggression somehow quieted, as if just a tad afraid to fully unleash. Any holding back of emotion, however, is made up for in the sheer musicality of the band. This is a great album, and one worthy of many listens."[11] Writing for Offbeat, Geraldine Wyckoff commented, "Having such a vital theme and being performed in concert settings, Live shares a strong resemblance to a suite of music, as did Breathless. They stand together in purpose and passion."[12]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hannibal"Marcus Miller11:00
2."Kaos"Blanchard12:07
3."Unchanged"Charles Altura13:27
4."Soldiers"Blanchard8:23
5."Dear Jimi"Blanchard4:45
6."Can Anyone Hear Me"Blanchard8:55
7."Choices"Blanchard17:10
Total length:1:15:47

Personnel

Band

  • Terence Blanchard – keyboards, producer, trumpet
  • Fabian Almazan – keyboards, piano
  • Charles Altura – guitar (electric)
  • David Ginyard – bass (electric)
  • Oscar Seaton – drums
  • Tondrae Kemp – vocals (live)
  • Dr. Cornel West – spoken word

Production

  • Henry Adebonojo – photography
  • Robin Burgess – producer
  • Gavin Lurssen – mastering
  • Paul Moore – design
  • Andrew F. Scott – cover art
  • Frank Wolf – engineer, mixing, producer
  • Tondrae Kemp – tour manager

Chart performance
Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[13] 8
Billboard 200[14] 20
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References
  1. Jurkovic, Mike (April 21, 2018). "Terence Blanchard: Live". All About Jazz. allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  2. Collar, Matt. "Live". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  3. Hobart, Mike (27 April 2018). "Terence Blanchard featuring The E-Collective: Live — high energy". Financial Times. ft.com. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  4. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Terence Blanchard". Tom Hull. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  5. "TERENCE BLANCHARD TO RELEASE "LIVE" FEATURING THE E-COLLECTIVE ON APRIL 20". Blue Note. bluenote.com. March 23, 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  6. Chinen, Nate (22 March 2018). "Terence Blanchard's 'Dear Jimi' Isn't Just A Tribute, It's A Healing Force". NPR. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  7. Micucci, Matt. "Terence Blanchard to release new live album". JAZZIZ. jazziz.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  8. Mitchell, Gail (April 21, 2018). "Terence Blanchard Talks New Album 'Live,' Gun Violence & Working With Spike Lee". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  9. Phillips, Lucas (April 18, 2018). "On 'Live,' Terence Blanchard steps into the firing line". The Boston Globe. bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  10. Phillips, Lucas (April 18, 2018). "On 'Live,' Terence Blanchard steps into the firing line". The Boston Globe. bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  11. stein, Sammy (2 May 2018). "Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective – Live (2018)". Something Else Reviews. somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  12. Wyckoff, Geraldine (23 April 2018). "Terence Blanchard, Live (Blue Note)". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  13. "Terence Blanchard". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  14. "Terence Blanchard". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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