The Malcolm X Jazz Suite

The Malcolm X Jazz Suite is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard.[8][9] The album was released on April 20, 1993 via Columbia.[10]

The Malcolm X Jazz Suite
Studio album by
Terence Blanchard
ReleasedApril 20, 1993
RecordedDecember 10, 11, and 14, 1992
StudioBNG Studios in New York
GenreJazz
Length1:08:52
LabelColumbia 473676 2
ProducerTerence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard chronology
Simply Stated
(1992)		 The Malcolm X Jazz Suite
(1993)		 In My Solitude: The Billie Holiday Songbook
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide[5]
Tom HullB+[6]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[7]

Background

Blanchard acted as the composer and orchestrator for Spike Lee's last two films: Jungle Fever and Malcolm X. Blanchard took the strongest themes from the latter movie and rearranged them for the present jazz quintet sessions.[11] Bassist Tarus Mateen, tenor saxophonist Sam Newsome, pianist Bruce Barth, and drummer Troy Davis each also participated in the original Malcolm X project.[10] In 1994, the album was nominated for Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Album.

Critical reception

Scott Yanow of Allmusic stated "Trumpeter Terence Blanchard continues to grow and develop with each year. He wrote the score for Malcolm X and this set finds him exploring 11 of his themes from the movie with his quintet... Many moods are explored and the fresh material really invigorates the quintet. Newsome's Trane-isms blend well with Blanchard (whose range has become quite impressive) and the performances (which easily stand apart from the film) are quite memorable. It's one of Terence Blachard's finest recordings." David Hajdu of Entertainment Weekly added "Most important, like the rarest of movie music (including the classic jazz soundtracks by Eddie Sauter), The Malcolm X Jazz Suite looks fine without the movie".[3]

David Hajdu of Entertainment Weekly noted "Adapted from his music for Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, this ambitious suite by young trumpeter Terence Blanchard evokes both X generations: Malcolm’s, by mimicking — I mean, paying homage to — the brooding, modal, small-band jazz that Miles Davis was making at the time of Malcolm’s rise; and Blanchard’s, by meandering along without much regard for structural tradition." Zan Stewart of The Los Angeles Times commented "Do tunes taken from a movie score serve as a solid basis for a thematic quintet album? Not always, as trumpeter-composer Blanchard's latest project illustrates".[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Terence Blanchard

No.TitleLength
1."The Opening"8:30
2."Melody for Laura"6:26
3."Theme for Elijah"5:24
4."Blues for Malcolm"12:06
5."The Nation"4:54
6."Malcolm's Theme"6:07
7."Betty's Theme"7:39
8."Malcolm Makes Hajj"4:37
9."Malcolm at Peace"11:22
10."Perpetuity"4:30
11."Malcolm's Theme"1:47
Total length:1:08:52

Personnel
Production
  • Joel Zimmerman – art direction, design
  • Robin Burgessco – producer
  • James P. Nichols – engineer
  • Dr. George Butler – executive producer
  • Robin Burgess – management
  • Hans Neleman – photography

Chart performance
Chart (1993) Peak
position
US Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[12] 23

References
  1. Yanow, Scott. "The Malcolm X Jazz Suite". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  2. Larkin, Colin (1998). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". p. 586. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  3. Hadju [sic], David (April 9, 1993). "The Malcolm X Jazz Suite". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  4. Stewart, Zan (18 July 1993). "Album Review: Somber Sounds of 'Malcolm X'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  5. Swenson, John (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 1865. ISBN 9780679768739. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  6. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Terence Blanchard". Tom Hull. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  7. Larkin, Colin (May 1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin. p. 97. ISBN 9781852277543. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  8. "Terence Blanchard – The Malcolm X Jazz Suite". Discogs. discogs.com. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  9. "Terence Blanchard Discography". MTV. mtv.com. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  10. Deriso, Nick (August 7, 2007). "Terence Blanchard – The Malcolm X Jazz Suite (1992)". Something Else Reviews. somethingelsereviews.com. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  11. Himes, Geoffrey (October 1, 1993). "'Malcolm X' Suite: Blanchard Landmark". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  12. "Terence Blanchard". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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