''Simply Stated'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed ...
. The album was released by
Columbia Records on May 5, 1992.
Background
''Simply Stated'' marked Blanchard's second album as a band leader. Blanchard explained that the album is a tribute to
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...
. The album contains four famous jazz standards and four Blanchard's original compositions. The reached the top 10 on the Billboard traditional jazz charts.
Critical reception
Nick Deriso of Something Else Reviews wrote, "This record was, Blanchard told me, his love letter to Miles Davis. In retrospect, it was the beginning of his ascension from young lion into modern standard bearer, too... "Simply Stated," pleasant if never really triumphant, is centered by sharp if respectful renditions of a challenging Davis-associated number "Dear Old Stockholm" and then on "Sleepy Time Down South." Blanchard, working his way back from a problem with his embouchure, even then blended enough artistry to draw second glances. As perhaps overly careful as this album sometimes was, it actually marked the starting point in a series of giant steps for Blanchard as an artist.
Scott Yanow of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
wrote, "Terence Blanchard is in top form throughout this highly enjoyable outing... The music is tied to the hard bop tradition yet is quite fresh and open to more modern influences. Recommended."
Track listing
Personnel
*
Antonio Hart – alto saxophone (track three)
*
Rodney Whitaker – double bass
*
Billy Kilson
William Earl Kilson (born August 2, 1962) is an American jazz drummer.
Kilson was born in Washington, D.C.. He started on trumpet at ten, switched to trombone at 11, then to drums at 16. He studied at the Berklee College of Music from 1980 to 1985 ...
– drums (track seven)
*Troy Davis – cymbals, drums
*Dr. George Butler – executive producer
*
Bruce Barth
Bruce David Barth (born September 7, 1958) is a jazz pianist, composer, and producer.
Early life
Barth was born in Pasadena, California, on September 7, 1958. He started to play the piano around the age of five. He had private jazz lessons wit ...
– piano
*Terence Blanchard – producer, trumpet, piano (solo) (track five)
*
Sam Newsome – tenor saxophone
Chart performance
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1992 albums
Terence Blanchard albums
Columbia Records albums
Jazz albums by American artists