Terence Blanchard – trumpet
Aaron Parks – piano
Brice Winston – tenor saxophone
Massimo Biolcati – bass
Lionel Loueke – guitar and vocals
Rodney Green – drums
Trumpeter/Composer/Leader Terence Blanchard is an innovator. He always has a fresh new groove and showcases new talent in his band. I have admired with his trumpet skills since his days with saxophonist Donald Harrison and his original music scores for several Spike Lee films. On this evening, he and his band were playing tunes his debut Blue Note Record album, Bounce, a collection of nine songs that capture the essence of his musical diversity. The set included “On the Verge” which featured Aaron, 19 (who graduated college at 18), on piano with an excellent opening solo filled with bouncy Latin rhythms. The piece also featured Terence and Brice on some very energetic solos. This energy continued on “Transform” and “Fred Brown.” Drummer Rodney, who has played with Patti LaBelle, Diana Krall, and Joe Henderson, had such great movements on the drums, it was like he was going to take off and fly away. Terence made it mellow on the bossa nova cut, “Nocturna” which featured Lionel on a guitar and vocal solo with so much flavor that it made hard it to distinguish the voicing between him and the guitar for their harmonic phrasing was so tight. The closing title track “Bounce/Let’s Go Off” felt like a late night jam session with Terence setting the pace with his opening trumpet solo then he faded out and Massimo came in with a incredible bass solo. Terence came back in and tore it up and Rodney joined in on the drums with the rest of the band following. They jammed for over 10 minutes. Terence continues to take his horn and to new levels of mastery and perfection.