A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)

Infobox Album
Name = A Tale of God's Will
(A Requiem for Katrina)
Type = Album
Artist = Terence Blanchard


Released = August 14, 2007
Recorded =
Genre = Jazz
Length = 69:13
Label = Blue Note
Producer = Terence Blanchard
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://wm03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:k9ftxzqgld0e link]
Last album = "Flow"
(2005)
This album = "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)" (2007)
Next album = "Maiden Voyage: Music of Herbie Hancock" (2007)

"A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)" is an album recorded in 2007 by the Terence Blanchard Quintet.

In 2008, won a Grammy Award for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album," and was nominated for "Best Jazz Instrument Solo" for his work on the song, "Levees." [ [http://www.grammy.com/Grammy_Awards/50th_show/list.aspx 2008 Grammy Award list] ]

Background

Film director Spike Lee commissioned New Orleans native Terence Blanchard to compose the score for his 2006 four-hour award-winning HBO documentary "", to show the agony of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2007 Blanchard recorded "A Tale of God's Will", which contains parts ("The Water," "Levees," "Wading Through" and "Funeral Dirge") of the recording that were heard in Spike Lee's documentary. Terence Blanchard mother Wilhelmina lost her Pontchartrain Park home in the tragedy, but thankfully survived with her life, [ [http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1197097124210300.xml&coll=1 NOLO: And the winners might be] ] closes the recording with "Dear Mom," which is Blanchard's heartfelt tribute to his mother.

Blanchard, was accompanied by his quintet and the Northwest Sinfonia, a 40-member string orchestra (which he conducted and co-orchestrated). All the songs were written by four members of Blanchard's Quintet serve to offer their own perspective of the tragedy. The opening track "Ghosts Of Congo Square" is a vibrant Afro-Cuban style rhythm track, represents: a place where those who resisted slavery were publicly hung. Later, after the days of slavery had ended, Congo Square became a place where local people would gather and share the percussion music that their ancestors brought with them from Africa. The second track "Levees" opens with melancholy strings, provided by the Northwest Sinfonia orchestra, and as Blanchard’s trumpet eases into the mix, one can imagine old and tired levees straining to hold back the water that never ceases to push against them. [ [http://www.buzzle.com/articles/terence-blanchard-a-tale-of-gods-will-a-requiem-for-katrina.html Terence Blanchard-A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina)] ] The tracks "Ghost of Betsy" and "The Water," Blanchard drew on his own experiences as a little boy when Hurricane Betsy flooded his Lower 9th Ward neighborhood in 1965. He intended "Funeral Dirge" as a dignified repast for a montage of dead bodies. Pianist Aaron Parks contributed "Ashe" as a benediction. Drummer Kendrick Scott describes his "Mantra" as a "mantra for healing and renewal." Bassist Derrick Hodge's lush, lovely "Over There," written before Katrina, nonetheless fit the CD's theme. Saxophonist Brice Winston wrote "In Time of Need" after moving with his family from New Orleans to Tucson, Arizona. [ [http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/11/terence_blanchard_with_lpo_per.html The Times-Picayune: Terence Blanchard Interview] ]

Performers

* Terence Blanchard - Trumpet
* Aaron Parks - Piano
* Brice Winston - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones
* Derrick Hodge - Acoustic and Electric Basses
* Kendrick Scott - Drums, Percussion
* Zach Harmon - Tabla drums
* Northwest Sinfonia, 40-member string orchestra: Conducted by Terence Blanchard

Track listing

Billboard Chart

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27601 All About Jazz: A Tale Of God's Will]
* [http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20070903d Louisiana Weekly: Blanchard's trumpet wails about a tale of God's will]
* [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/47144/terence-blanchard-a-tale-of-gods-will/ Pop Matters: Terence Blanchard Interview]
* [http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/whentheleveesbroke/?ntrack_para1=feat_sec2_title HBO: When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts]