Terence Blanchard's 2013 return to Blue Note, Magnetic, built upon his decades-long history of post-bop dynamism with a forward-thinking approach that blended edgy, modal improvisation with a sophisticated, genre-crossing compositional style. It was a concept he had been investigating on his previous efforts Bounce (2003), Flow (2005), and Choices (2009). In keeping with this boundary-pushing trajectory, Blanchard's follow-up, 2015's Breathless, finds the New Orleans native jumping wholeheartedly into a funky stew of R&B, hip-hop, and fusion-influenced jazz. Blanchard is joined here by his band the E-Collective, an adroit group of young players including keyboardist Fabian Almazan, Charles Altura on Guitar, bassist Donald Ramsey, drummer Oscar Seaton and also guest vocalist PJ Morton. Breathless is Blanchard's most electrified album to date in a contemporary jazz direction. Here, we get a very '90s hip-hop/jazz, several languid, new agey spoken word pieces, and some expansive, groove-oriented cuts. Also, intriguing are Morton's several slow jam vocal numbers, including an inspired cover of Hank Williams' "I Ain't Got Nothin' But Time”. Also, compelling is the languid, dreamy ballad "Everglades," with its angular, synthy, '80s electro-funk. Ultimately, while Breathless is a break from the aggressive, acoustic swing that has marked much of Blanchard's career, it nonetheless retains all the jaw-dropping artistry and soulful creativity we have come to expect, albeit delivered in a vibrant, electric style. ~ Extract by Matt Collar, AMG.
Blue Note, 0602547269393,
2015
Recorded 2015 at Esplanade
Recording Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana
Musicians:
Terence Blanchard - Trumpet
Fabian Almazan - Piano,
Synthesizer
Charles Altura - Guitar
Donald Ramsey - Bass, Backing
Vocals
Oscar Seaton - Drums
Guests:
PJ Morton - Vocals (#1,6,11)
JRei Oliver - Backing Vocals,
Spoken Words (#6,8)
Dr. Cornel West (#9)
Tracks:
01. Compared To What {Gene
McDaniels} (5:48)
02. See Me As I Am {Terence
Blanchard} (8:52)
03. Everglades {Fabian
Almazan} (14:33)
04. Breathless {Terence
Blanchard} (4:38)
05. Confident Selflessness
{Terence Blanchard} (8:13)
06. Shutting Down {T. Oliver
Blanchard, Jr.} (4:12)
07. Soldiers {Terence Blanchard}
(6:08)
08. Samadhi {Terence
Blanchard} (3:56)
09. Talk To Me {Terence
Blanchard} (4:04)
10. Tom & Jerry {Terence
Blanchard} (2:48)
11. I Ain't Got Nothin' But
Time {Hank Williams} (4:28)
12. Cosmic Warrior {Terence
Blanchard} (5:24)
13. Midnight {C. Martin, G.
Berryman, J. Buckland, W. Champion} (4:53)
Total Time: 78:04
Credits:
Producer - Robin Burgess,
Terence Blanchard
Executive-Producer, A&R -
Don Was
Engineer, Mixing - Frank Wolf
Engineer [Assistant] - Casey
Contreary
Mastering - Gavin Lurssen
Photography - Henry Adebonojo
A&R [Administration] -
Steve Cook
Art Direction, Design - Randall Leddy
