As many of you know – I am a big Terence Blanchard fan.  The man can seriously blow and is one of the few trumpet players with his own unique voice.  His roots are firmly planted in the history of this music and that truly allows his limbs to stretch and expand where others do not go.  He is definitely not a cookie cutter trumpet player in my opinion.  Terence along with a collection of top shelf players join the legendary McCoy Tyner on his new CD – Illuminations.

The selection of material is greatly varied and a refreshing change.  McCoy tackles everything from the Latin laced “Angelina,” standards like “Alone Together” and the down home blues of “New Orleans Stomp.”  He is joined by TB on trumpet, Gary Bartz on saxophone, Lewis Nash on drums and the rock solid Christian McBride on bass.

Even though the CD is McCoy Tyner’s I really feel that Terence shines.  To me this is a serious extension of his fantastic playing on Bounce.  Each solo is well crafted and full of life.  On “Angelina” he slowly builds to an extremely powerful climax and flurry of high notes.  The amazing thing is he manages to do this on just about every track.  Again – my view may be slightly rose colored but it is a performance that you do not want to miss.  Pick up a copy and judge for yourself.