
Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective
Thu, Sep 3 -
Sun, Sep 6, 2015
The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley welcomes 5x GRAMMY Winner, composer, and jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard for four nights and six shows, touring in promotion of his new album, Breathless. Band members are Charles Altura (guitar), Fabian Almazan (piano and synth), Donald Ramsey (bass) and Oscar Seaton (drums). Show times Thursday at 7:30PM, Friday and Saturday at 7:30PM & 9:30PM, and Sunday at 7:30PM. Doors open at 6:00pm all nights.
artist info
Since top-tier jazz and multiple Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard embarked on his solo recording career with his eponymous Columbia Records album in 1991, the New Orleans born and based artist has traveled many paths musically, including delivering adventurous and provocative acoustic jazz outings of original material, composing over 50 soundtracks and even debuting and opera. But for his latest Blue Note Records album, Breathless, Blanchard powerfully and playfully journeys into another jazz realm with his new quintet, The E-Collective—an exciting zone of grooved fusion teeming with funk, R&B and blues colors.
Produced by the trumpeter and his manager Robin Burgess and executive produced by Blue Note president Don Was, the adventurous 13-tune recording zeroes in on several Blanchard originals, an epic-length piece by Almazan and a scattering of covers, sung by soothing and soulful vocalist P.J. Morton (a member of the band Maroon 5). It’s a first foray into straight-up grooveland for Blanchard, and he’s thrilled with the dance-steeped party he and his quintet (and guests) have cooked up. “Breathless is the album I’ve been wanting to do for quite awhile,” he says. “Growing up I was listening to the Head Hunters and Weather Report, which had a strong effect on me. I always listened to groove-based music—Jimi Hendrix, Parliament Funkadelic and then later listening to Prince and D’Angelo and later what [jazz trumpeter] Russell Gunn was doing. But up to this point, I had never explored it.” It’s a subject that Blanchard and his friends have been talking about for at least the last seven years. “But I could never find the time to do it,” Blanchard says. “I remember playing some grooved-based stuff with Oscar for Spike’s [2006] film Inside Man, and I said that we needed to put together a band. All this time later, here we are. I figured, if not now, I’ll probably never do it.”
As for the breadth of Breathless, Blanchard is pleased to have followed through with a project that’s dear to his heart and deep in his history. As for his jazz diehard fans who may frown at the deep-grooved fusion, he’s not worried. “I always think of Miles Davis,” he says. “No matter what he played, he was always Miles. He changed, but most of all he was having fun. That’s the way I look at it. Whatever comes, so be it. But for this recording, there was just one must. The groove. Everything else is up for grabs.
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This performance requires payment at the time your reservation is made. Exact seats/tables may be purchased when you make your online reservation or you can call Jazz Alley at 206-441-9729 for assistance. All purchases are nonrefundable/nonexchangeable.
Preferential seating is given to our dinner guests. All sets are all ages. Dimitriou's Jazz Alley does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, national or ethnic origin. Jazz Alley is a seated night club, not a dance hall, every person admitted has an assigned fixed seat. Dining is optional.
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