Terence Blanchard, E-Collective, and Turtle Island String Quartet

“Blanchard told one scribe, ‘Music and art have the power to change hearts and souls.’ That sums up his social and spiritual mission.” – Dan Oulette

Terence Blanchard and his acclaimed collaborators pay tribute to iconic jazz composer Wayne Shorter. Blanchard reimagines songs from across and inspired by Shorter’s adventurous catalog, resulting in what the New Yorker called “a lush and dramatic soundscape that calls to mind Blanchard’s career as a successful film composer.” The group’s 2022 album, Absence, in tribute to Shorter, was nominated for two Grammy Awards—Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Jazz Improvised Album.

Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning painful American tragedies—past and present. He stands tall as one of jazz’s most-esteemed trumpeters and defies expectations by creating a spectrum of artistic pursuits.

A seven-time Grammy Winner and twice Oscar-nominated film composer, Blanchard became only the second African-American composer to be nominated twice in the original score category at the 2022 Academy Awards, duplicating Quincy Jones’ feat from 1967.

Blanchard is also heralded as a two-time opera composer of the acclaimed Fire Shut Up in My Bones and Champion, both performed at The Metropolitan Opera.

From his expansive work composing the scores for over twenty Spike Lee projects over three decades, ranging from the documentary When the Levees Broke to Da 5 Bloods, Blanchard has interwoven beautiful melodies that created strong backdrops to human stories.

Event Sponsor: State Employees Credit Union. This project is also supported in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.