His father wanted him to be an opera singer, but Terence Blanchard became a jazz trumpeter instead, one whose enveloping sound -defined by a soaring, resplendent tone and a unique ability to set mood and evoke stories through music- is expansive enough to make a small jazz club feel like an opera house.

Thanks to this natural gift for mood-setting and storytelling, the 37 year-old Blanchard has emerged in the last decade as the foremost jazz-oriented film composer. He's left his mark on nu...