Terence Blanchard: Bounce (Blue Note)

Terence Blanchard knows what it takes to assemble a fully comprehensive program of music. The trumpeter, a now-seasoned, hugely capable musician, doesn’t simply rely on his own superior abilities and those of the talented young musicians in his band. Instead, he brings to the table a well-balanced menu with each satisfying course complementing the whole. In some ways, the concept is similar to how the band functions with the ensemble acting as the centerpiece, or the entrée, if you will, from which the music flows. The group, rather than Blanchard or any of the soloists, often takes on staring the role. The plate is further shared with each member of the rhythm section contributing an original number. It’s pianist Aaron Parks’ “On the Verge” that opens the disc with Blanchard remaining out of the spotlight until almost six minutes into the song. That’s not to say that the trumpeter doesn’t claim some time of his own. His horn explodes on his self-penned, original and edgier offering, “Fred Brown,” a tune written for the well-known artist and a personal favorite on the disc. Here he mixes things up with the demanding electric piano of Robert Glasper with added fire supplied by drummer Eric Harland. On Harland’s celebratory “Transform,” Blanchard blows with a persuasive strut and screams his exhilaration. The ensemble takes on African influences with the arrival of guitarist and Benin native Lionel Loueke who rhythmically and tonally augments Blanchard’s “Azania” with rich scat-like chants. New Orleans saxophonist Brice Winston picks up and carries on Loueke’s and the continent’s vitality. The tune stands in wonderful contrast to the serenity of bassist Brian Owens’ “Innocence.” The album parties out with a second line feel with just the trumpet, bass and drum having some fun on “Bounce/Let’s Go Off.” At the disc’s end, the fullness of Bounce—the bounce of Bounce—compels one to just hit the button and play it again.