Saturday, August 22, 2009

Terence Blanchard, Choices, Concord

Intelligent, in the manner of Miles' great '60s quintet, soulful, bluesy jazz with elements of fusion and a nod to his News Orleans hometown now and then, featuring impeccable playing by the leader himself on trumpet (man, does he soar on Winding Roads) and saxophonist Walter Smith III, as well as some fascinating licks from Lionel Loueke on guitar. All of which makes this a darn fine listen.

But the really interesting part is how well the interspersed spoken-word interludes by Dr. Cornel West fit into the program. In both what he says and the way he says it, the dude is positively riffing. A few comely neosoul vocals from Bilal, too. (When Will You Call is a goodie.) I wish everyone was this adventurous with their latest CD.

1 comment:

brandon haynes said...

yes he does soar on Winding Roads! Great review