Quintuple Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter and Oscar-nominated composer Terence Blanchard will play one night only at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in the recently refreshed Uihlein Hall.
The Thursday, Nov. 4 performance – at 7:30 p.m. – will be the second concert in the 2021/2022 MPAC Presents Jazz Series, which also includes an upcoming David Sanborn show.
Joining Blanchard will be his band The E-Collective – Charles Aultura on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano and synthesizers, Oscar Seaton
on drums, and David “DJ” Ginyard on bass – as well as the two-time Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet.
A brief Q&A with Blanchard will follow the performance.
Blanchard will spotlight his latest record, “Absence,” released by Blue Note Records. The disc is a tribute to the legendary tenor man Wayne Shorter.
Blanchard’s second opera, “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” is part of this year’s Metropolitan Opera season. Believe it or not, it’s the first time in 138 years that the company is producing an opera by a Black composer.
Blanchard has also scored more than 40 films.
“We are thrilled and honored to welcome Terence Blanchard back to Milwaukee for this rare opportunity to witness one of the most accomplished and revolutionary jazz musicians of our generation,” said Marcus Performing Arts Center Director of Programming, John Hassig.
“His musical inventiveness, combined with his powerful ability to both draw and amplify influence throughout his work as a composer, band leader and solo artist, is not only history-making – it is truly unparalleled in this time.”
Tickets can be purchased on the Marcus Center website.
The Marcus Performing Arts Center requires proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a recent negative test to attend live performances. Masks are required indoors for all audience members 3 and older.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
