Blue Note

April 21 2015

Multiple Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is set to release his new album Breathless May 26 on Blue Note Records. With his new quintet, The E-Collective, Blanchard journeys into an exciting zone of grooved fusion teeming with funk, R&B and blues colors. The album is a statement piece with the title referencing  “I can’t breathe,” the words of Eric Garner that have since echoed across the country in protest of discrimination. “Soldiers,” the first single from the album, is available today on all streaming services and digital retailers. Breathless is available for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon.

The E-Collective includes Charles Altura (Guitar), Fabian Almazan (Piano and Synths), Donald Ramsey (Bass), and Oscar Seaton (Drums). Breathless was produced by Blanchard 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 (“Everglades”) and a scattering of covers, sung by soothing and soulful vocalist PJ Morton (a member of the band Maroon 5), including an exhilarating take on the modern standard “Compared to What“ made famous by Les McCann and Eddie Harris, and the soul-vibed and lyrical take on “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time” penned by Hank Williams. Plus, Morton sings the compelling pop-styled, song-of-strength tune, ”Shutting Down,” written by Blanchard’s talented son, T. Oliver Blanchard Jr., aka JRei Oliver, who also contributes spoken-word excerpts on others.

Blanchard hits the road this year with The E-Collective including performances at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, several European festivals and multi-night runs in New York City, Denver, St. Louis, and DC. A complete list of tour dates is below.

Catch Terence Blanchard & The E-Collective on Tour:

April

24 - Hanover, NH - Dartmouth College

25 - Boston, MA - Celebrity Series at Berklee

May

2 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

2 - New Orleans, LA - Le Petit Theatre

6 - Evanston, IL - SPACE

7 - Omaha, NE - Holland Performing Arts Center

8-10 - Denver, CO - Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge

27-31 - New York, NY - Jazz Standard

June

9 - Indianapolis, IN - Jazz Kitchen

10-13 - St. Louis, MO - Jazz at The Bistro

14 - Los Angeles, CA - Playboy Jazz Festival at Hollywood Bowl

16-21 - Washington, DC - Blues Alley

July

4 - Madera Island, Portugal - Funchal Jazz Festival

5 - Sussex, UK - Love Supreme Festival

6-8 - Paris, France - Duc des Lombards

10 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - North Sea Jazz Festival

13 - Czech Republic - Bohemia Jazz Fest

16 - Perugia, Italy - Perugia Jazz Festival

September

16 - Los Angeles, CA - Grammy Museum

17-18 - Monterey, CA - Monterey Jazz Festival

 

The track listing for Breathless is as follows:

1)      Compared to What (Les McCann)

2)      See Me As I Am (Terence Blanchard)

3)      Everglades (Fabian Almazan)

4)      Breathless (Terence Blanchard)

5)      Confident Selflessness (Terence Blanchard)

6)      Shutting Down (T. Oliver Blanchard, Jr.)

7)      Soldiers (Terence Blanchard)

8)      Samadhi (Terence Blanchard)

9)      Talk to Me (Terence Blanchard)

10)   Tom & Jerry (Terence Blanchard)

11)   I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time (Hank Williams)

12)   Cosmic Warrior (Terence Blanchard)

13)   Midnight (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin)