T. K. Blue (also known as Talib Kibwe, born Eugene Rhynie, February 7, 1953)TK Blue Artist Profile
Motéma Music. is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, composer and educator from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His parents were

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n and

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

, and he has used their Afro-Caribbean musical styles in his own work. He has worked with, among others,

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

Jayne Cortez Jayne Cortez (May 10, 1934 – December 28, 2012) was an African-American poet, activist, small press publisher and spoken-word performance artist whose voice is celebrated for its political, surrealistic and dynamic innovations in lyricism and ...

, the South African pianist

Dollar Brand Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

(now Abdullah Ibrahim), and

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

, for whom he was musical director. Blue has also taught at professorial level at of jazz studies at educational institutions including Suffolk Community College,

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...

, and

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

Biography

Early years and education

He was born in the

Bronx, NY The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yor ...

, to a Trinidadian mother and Jamaican father, and grew up on

Long Island, NY Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th- ...

. T.K. Blue began his life in music from his Lakeview hometown by playing trumpet from the ages of eight to 10, and then switching to drums for a year. After a hiatus, at the age of 17 he dedicated himself to music by learning flute. While attending

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

between 1971 and 1975 with a double major in Music and Psychology, Blue threw himself headlong into music, concentrating on the saxophone. During these undergraduate years, he lived in the East Village, partaking in the full range of the scene, from lessons with elders to deep involvement in the avant-garde. He participated in the

Jazzmobile Jazzmobile, Inc. is based in New York City, and was founded in 1964 by Daphne Arnstein, an arts patron and founder of the Harlem Cultural Council and Dr. William "Billy" Taylor. It is a multifaceted, outreach organization committed to bringing "A ...

program, studying jazz theory, harmony, sight-reading, rhythmic training, improvisation and big-band performance, with

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually co ...

Chris Woods Christopher Charles Eric Woods (born 14 November 1959) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is goalkeeping coach for the Scotland national team. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played in the Football Leag ...

Sonny Red Sylvester Kyner Jr. (December 17, 1932 – March 20, 1981), known as Sonny Red, was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer associated with the hard bop idiom among other styles. Sonny Red played with Art Blakey, Curtis Fuller, Paul Quin ...

, Frank Foster, Jimmy Owens,

Ernie Wilkins Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr. (July 20, 1922 – June 5, 1999) was an American jazz saxophonist, conductor and arranger who spent several years with Count Basie. He also wrote for Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was musical direc ...

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

and

Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...

."Biography"
T.K. Blue website. At

Jazz Interactions Jazz Interactions, Inc. is a non-profit-making organization whose aim is "to stimulate a greater awareness of jazz by providing jazz information and educational services to New York metropolitan area." The organization was founded in the early 1960 ...

, Blue studied with

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The year ...

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

and Joe Newman, and at the

Henry Street Settlement The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founde ...

with

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

and bassist Paul West. In 1979 Blue received his Master's in Music Education from Teachers College at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

After performing and traveling extensively with

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

(Dollar Brand) from 1977 to 1980 – variously billed during this period as Talib Qadr, Talib Qadir Kibwe and Talib Abdul Kadr – Blue moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in December 1981, remaining there until 1989. In 1986 he recorded ''Egyptian Oasis'', his first record as a leader, and that sparked a number of

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

tours to some 20 countries in Africa. Back in the USA since 1990, he has worked constantly, in a wide range of styles and situations, and recorded his second CD, ''Introducing Talib Kibwe'', released on

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

in 1996. His more recent recordings as leader include 2008's ''Follow the North Star'', a suite inspired by the life of

Solomon Northup Solomon Northup (born July 10, 1807-1808) was an American abolitionist and the primary author of the memoir ''Twelve Years a Slave''. A free-born African American from New York, he was the son of a freed slave and a free woman of color. A far ...

(commissioned by the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

), ''Latin Bird'' (2011 – "Highly recommended" by

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 databas ...

's reviewer Ken Dryden), and in 2014 ''A Warm Embrace'', about which Don Bilawsky on ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' has written: "Blue's skills as an arranger, perhaps more than anything else, are responsible for the success of this project, as he's able to create beauty from simplicity at times.... ''A Warm Embrace'' is simply a beautiful work of art." His 2019 album ''The Rhythms Continue'' is a tribute to

, with whose group T. K. Blue worked from the 1980s, taking on the role of music director and arranger in 1989. The '' New York City Jazz Record'' characterized the CD as "possibly his most heartfelt, a dedication to the memory of his longtime employer and mentor. ... Blue performed in Weston's African Rhythms band for 38 years, his life deeply affected by his relationship with the legendary pianist." Described by the ''

New York Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

'' as "a memorable suite of 19 enthralling compositions by Weston,

Melba Liston Melba Doretta Liston (January 13, 1926 – April 23, 1999) was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and composer. Other than those playing in all-female bands she was the first woman trombonist to play in big bands during the 1940s and 1960s, ...

and Blue", it features other members of Weston's band – bassist

Alex Blake Alex Blake (born Alejandro Blake Fearon Jr.) is a jazz bass player. Biography Blake was born in Panama and moved to the United States at the age of 7, growing up in Brooklyn, NY. He began his career with Sun Ra in his band Arkestra. He became o ...

, tenor saxophonist

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of John Coltrane, Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biogr ...

, and percussionist Neil Clarke – with guest pianists Sharp Radway, Mike King, Keith Brown and Kelly Green, as well as Min Xiao Fen on pipa. Augmenting his long-term relationships as musical director with Weston, as well as with the Spirit of Life Ensemble at New York's

Sweet Basil Basil (, ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' , also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" refers to the variety also kno ...

jazzclub, Blue's other recent affiliations include: Odadaa, a group led by a drummer from

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, Yacub Addy; percussionist Norman Hedman's pan-African band Tropique;

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

r Joseph's Tap and Rap, to jazz tunes by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

; and emerging singer Jeffrey Smith. T.K. was part of the June 2008 photo session called "A Great Day In Paris" — in homage to

Art Kane Art Kane (born Arthur Kanofsky; April 9, 1925 – February 3, 1995) was an American fashion and music photographer active from the 1950s through the early 1990s. He created many portraits of contemporary musicians, including Bob Dylan, Jefferson A ...

's historic 1958 photograph '' A Great Day in Harlem'' — that featured more than 50 musicians from the USA who resided there. For several years an adjunct professor at Suffolk Community College and

, Blue was also a full-time professor and director of jazz studies at Long Island University-LIU-Post."Biography"
T.K.Blue.

Discography

As leader

* 1986: ''Egyptian Oasis'' (Anais Records)Discography
T.K.Blue. * 1993: ''Taja – A Night at Birdland'' (Rise Up; B000005R1G) * 1996: ''Introducing Talib Kibwe'' (

) * 1999: ''Another Blue'' (

Arkadia Jazz Arkadia Records is an independent record label that was founded in 1996. The label was founded in New York City by Bob Karcy, who had been a manager for musicians and an independent record producer. The first release was Billy Taylor's ''Music Kee ...

) * 2001: ''Eyes of the Elders'', with

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...

Joanne Brackeen Joanne Brackeen (born Joanne Grogan; July 26, 1938) is an American jazz pianist and music educator. Music career Brackeen was born in Ventura, California, United States, and attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. She was a fan of pop p ...

Lonnie Plaxico Lonnie Plaxico (born September 4, 1960) is an American jazz double bassist. Biography Plaxico was born in Chicago, Illinois, into a musical family, and started playing the bass at the age of twelve, turning professional at fourteen (playing both ...

and

Jeff "Tain" Watts Jeff "Tain" Watts (born January 20, 1960) is a jazz drummer who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Betty Carter, Michael Brecker, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, and others. Biography Watts got the nickname "Tain" from Kenny ...

(Arkadia Jazz) * 2003: ''Rhythm in Blue'' (Jaja Records) * 2007: ''In a Sentimental Mood: A Jazz Tribute to Dr Chris Culver'' (T.K. Blue) * 2008: ''Follow the North Star'', with

Steve Turre Stephen Johnson Turre (born September 12, 1948, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz trombonist and a pioneer of using Conch (instrument), seashells as instruments, a composer, arranger, and educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. For ...

James Weidman James Edward Weidman Jr. , (born July 14, 1953, in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American jazz pianist. Weidman's father was a saxophonist who led his own band. He began playing piano when he was eight years old and eventually became electric organist ...

Onaje Allan Gumbs Onaje Allan Gumbs (born Allan Bentley Gumbs, September 3, 1949 – April 6, 2020) ...

, Essiet Okon Essiet, Willie Martinez and Kevin Jones (a musical retelling of the story of

(Jaja Records) * 2010: ''C.W. Post Jazz'' * 2011: ''Latin Bird'' (

Motéma Music Motéma Music is a jazz and world music record label in the United States. It was founded in 2003 in San Francisco Bay Area. This record label’s catalog spans genres, cultures, and generations and has received Grammy recognition for over twen ...

) * 2013: ''Live at Hillwood Recital Hall'' * 2014: ''A Warm Embrace'' (Jaja Records) * 2017: ''Amour'' (Dot Time Records) * 2019: ''The Rhythms Continue'' (Jaja Records)Consideine, J. D.
"T.K. Blue: The Rhythms Continue (JAJA) , A review of the alto saxophonist's tribute album to Randy Weston"
''JazzTimes'', November 18, 2019.

As sideman

With

All-Stars *''Thank You, Duke! Our Tribute To Duke Ellington'' (1998) With

and The Firespitters *''Cheerful And Optimistic'' (1995) *''Taking The Blues Back Home'' (1996) *''Borders Of Disorderly Time'' (2003) With

*''

The Journey The Journey may refer to: Film and television * ''The Journey'' (1942 film), or ''El viaje'', an Argentine film * ''The Journey'' (1959 film), an American drama starring Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, and Jason Robards about the Hungarian Revoluti ...

'' (1977) *''African Tears and Laughter'' (1977) *''South African Liberation Songs'' (1979) With

Benny Powell Benny Powell (March 1, 1930 – June 26, 2010) was an American jazz trombonist. He played both standard (tenor) trombone and bass trombone. Biography Born Benjamin Gordon Powell Jr in New Orleans, Louisiana, he first played professionally ...

*''Why Don’t You Say Yes Sometime'' (1991) *''The Gift Of Love'' (2003) With Sam Rivers *''

Colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

'' (Black Saint, 1982) With

Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...

*''All Of Me: Live In Tokyo'' (2004) With The Spirit of Life Ensemble *''Inspiration'' (1992) *''Feel The Spirit'' (1994) *''Live At The Pori Jazz Festival'' (1996) *''Collage'' (1998) *''25 Twenty-Five'' (2000) With

*'' The Spirits of Our Ancestors'' (1991) *''Volcano Blues'' (1993) *''Saga'' (1995) *''

Khepera Khepri ( Egyptian: ''ḫprj,'' also transliterated Khepera, Kheper, Khepra, Chepri) is a scarab-faced god in ancient Egyptian religion who represents the rising or morning sun. By extension, he can also represent creation and the renewal of life ...

'' (1998) *'' Spirit! The Power Of Music'' (2000) *''The African Nubian Suite'' (2016)

References

External links

Official website

Verve on T. Kibwe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue, T.K. 1953 births 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American saxophonists American jazz flautists African-American jazz musicians African-American saxophonists American jazz educators American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American male jazz musicians American musicians of Caribbean descent American musicians of Jamaican descent American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Columbia University alumni Living people Long Island University faculty People from the East Village, Manhattan Motéma Music artists Montclair State University faculty Musicians from New York City Suffolk County Community College faculty Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century flautists 21st-century flautists