Terence Blanchard

Biography

Terence Blanchard (born 1962) is a highly celebrated American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and educator whose multifaceted career has profoundly impacted the worlds of jazz, film, and opera. A five-time Grammy Award winner and two-time Academy Award nominee, Blanchard is known for his ability to craft powerful and emotionally resonant music, often exploring themes of contemporary relevance.

Born on March 13, 1962, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Blanchard's musical journey began early. He started playing piano at age 5 and switched to the trumpet at age 8. While studying at Rutgers University, he toured with the renowned Lionel Hampton Orchestra. In 1982, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, eventually becoming the band's musical director, a significant stepping stone in his development as a jazz artist. He then co-led a quintet with saxophonist Donald Harrison, further solidifying his presence in the jazz scene.

Blanchard's career took a significant turn in the early 1990s when he began a long-standing and highly fruitful collaboration with filmmaker Spike Lee. He composed the scores for almost all of Lee's subsequent films, becoming one of the most sought-after film composers. 

His scores for Lee's movies are often deeply interwoven with the narrative and emotional core of the films, ranging from the epic "Malcolm X" (1992) to the powerful "BlacKkKlansman" (2018) and "Da 5 Bloods" (2020), both of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score. His extensive filmography as a composer also includes works for directors like George Lucas ("Red Tails"), Kasi Lemmons ("Eve's Bayou," "Harriet"), and Regina King ("One Night in Miami").

Beyond film, Blanchard has maintained a prolific career as a jazz recording artist and bandleader, with over 20 albums to his name. His albums like "Breathless" (2015) with his band E-Collective and "Flow" (2005) showcase his distinctive trumpet playing and compositional style, which blends post-bop, modal jazz, and contemporary elements. His album "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)" (2007), a re-working and expansion of his score for Spike Lee's Hurricane Katrina documentary "When the Levees Broke," earned him a Grammy Award.

In recent years, Blanchard has ventured into the world of opera, making significant contributions to the genre. His opera "Champion" (2013), about the life of boxer Emile Griffith, premiered to critical acclaim. In 2021, his opera "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" made history as the first opera by an African American composer to be performed by the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, opening their 2021-2022 season.

Blanchard is also a dedicated educator and mentor. He served as artistic director for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of Southern California and has held positions at the Henry Mancini Institute at the University of Miami, Berklee College of Music, and UCLA. In 2023, he was appointed Executive Artistic Director of SFJAZZ.

Terence Blanchard's career is a testament to his expansive musical vision, his ability to transcend genres, and his commitment to using his art to tell powerful stories.