TERENCE BLANCHARD is nothing if not a busy man. Bandleader, music educator and film soundtrack composer - not to mention one of the finest trumpet players in jazz - he has no shortage of things to be getting on with. Speaking recently over the phone from Los Angeles, he was wearing his teacher's hat and catching a short break between classes at the Thelonious Monk Institute. That stint was sandwiched between completing work on the soundtrack for a new Spike Lee film - Inside Man, to be released next month - and a tour with his critically acclaimed sextet. The schedule includes one date in Hong Kong, this Saturday, as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival. Blanchard is also delivering a lecture tomorrow at the University of Hong Kong on writing music for films. He and his band are touring in support of an album, Flow, which scored two Grammy nominations. Critically, it was one of the best-received albums of last year, but, musically, Blanchard says, he and his five young bandmates have already moved on. 'We'll probably play some things from Flow but we'll have some new material as well,' says the softly spoken trumpeter. 'One of the great things about this band is that everybody has a strong ability to compose, and with very unique styles. While the music that we play still sounds like our group, it comes from a lot of different directions.' Blanchard himself comes from New Orleans, and first captured the attention of jazz lovers in 1983 when - on his predecessor's recommendation - he stepped into Wynton Marsalis' shoes in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Two years later, Blanchard and fellow Jazz Messenger, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, split to form their own quintet, and in 1990 Blanchard signed as a soloist to Columbia. His reputation as a film soundtrack composer flowered along with his solo career, largely thanks to his association with Lee. His soundtracks to both Mo' Better Blues and The Heart Speaks were also nominated for Grammy Awards. Lee and Blanchard discovered his talent for scoring movies more or less by accident. 'I was a session player on some of [Lee's] earlier films and he heard me playing the piano and wanted to use it. Then he asked me if I could write the arrangement for him, and that's how it all began. It's been a great working relationship ever since. He's a very interesting filmmaker, and he's very motivating to work with because of his unique talent. It pushes me in other directions.' Other influential figures with whom he has worked extensively include Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, who also teach at the Monk Institute. Hancock produced and played on Flow, and Blanchard's sextet are often compared with the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet which made stars of Hancock and Shorter. 'I've learned a great deal from those guys, and they're always inspiring to be around,' he says. 'For Flow I wanted to find someone who had enough experience and vision to guide us, and give us some words of wisdom and help us kind of focus our energies. Herbie was the first person that came to mind, because he's done a lot of different types of music and he's still very exploratory.' Although Blanchard says Flow was very much an extension of his previous album, Bounce, the follow-up introduced a new rhythm section to complement the leader, saxophonist Brice Winston, guitarist Lionel Loueke and pianist Aaron Parks. 'When we did Bounce we had a different bass player and drummer, but those guys went on to do other things. Kendrick Scott joined the band on drums, and he was a great addition, and when Derrick Hodge joined - he was the last to join - he just brought the band to a whole other level.' Blanchard says he's storing up some 'fond memories'. Today as a bandleader he finds himself in the same position his mentor, Blakey, used to occupy. Not just running a band but nurturing serious young talent in the bittersweet knowledge that the best musicians sooner or later will inevitably move on. 'I've always envisioned having a group of young men who are extremely talented and have individual voices composing, sharing, and experiencing each other's musical abilities, and that's exactly what we have. When I look at this band and at the talent that they possess, it makes me think back to when I was with Art Blakey and how he used to give us a lot of room to do our thing and how it helped us immensely to grow. 'I would like to keep this band together for a while, but these guys are at a level of talent where they could all be leaders in their own right. It just depends on what's supposed to happen, and I'll accept whatever that is. I'm enjoying it while I have it.' The sextet's music is both exploratory and inclusive. Elements of world music rub shoulders with 1950s and 60s jazz references, while Blanchard's trumpet sound draws on the tone of a still earlier era, paradoxically to strikingly modern effect. Although Blanchard can hardly escape comparisons to Wynton Marsalis - as a teenager in New Orleans he studied with Ellis Marsalis, the trumpeter's father, before taking his place with Blakey - his music is far more open to influences from outside the jazz tradition. Blanchard's soundtracks are generally considered to be among his most substantial compositions, and says his work for film has benefited his jazz playing and vice versa. 'The film thing has helped me solidify my approach in terms of telling a story - keeping everything within the confines of telling a tale, whether it be a composition, or a collection of compositions, or a particular show that we perform. 'We try to have ebb and flow, like a film. We don't want things to become stagnant, we just keep them moving along in certain areas. The film career has helped me a great deal in that regard, but the jazz thing has helped me in the film arena as well. It allows me to try different, possibly unusual, things and come at it from a different approach.' Blanchard has several film projects coming up, but, for now, is focusing his energies on making fresh music on the road with his band. The Arts Festival performance will be the sextet's only Asian appearance, and a rare opportunity to see one of the finest small groups in jazz at the peak of their form. Terence Blanchard Sextet, Sat, 8pm, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, $75, $100 (students), $150, $200, $260, $360, Urbtix, HK Ticketing. Inquiries: 2824 2430. Blanchard speaks on his film work (part of the Festival Talks programme), tomorrow, 1.10pm, Chong Yuet Ming Amenities Centre Theatre, University of Hong Kong, free (for ticket holders). Inquiries: 2824 2430
