“Produced by the artist and four-time Grammy winner Herbie Hancock, Flow heralds nothing less than the brilliant second act of Blanchard’s already extraordinary career. Flow is TB’s rambunctiously heated answer to those unenlightened few who doubted that this chill master of the urbane film score (Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, Barbershop) could get down. Indeed, Flow not only showcases Blanchard’s prodigious instrumental and composing skills; it reveals him to be both a shrewd judge of young talent and a bandleader of Milesian dimension and magnitude as well.” Amazon
Aaron Parks, Composer, Piano
Brice Winston, Composer, EWI, Keyboards, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Derrick Hodge, Bass, Bass Instrument, Composer
Gretchen Parlato, Vocals
Kendrick Scott, Composer, Drums
Lionel Loueke, Composer, Guitar, Vocals
Terence Blanchard, Composer, Synthesizer, Trumpet
| Flow, Part I | 5:29 | ||
| Wadagbe (Intro) | 4:14 | ||
| Wadagbe | 10:26 | ||
| Benny’s Tune | 7:43 | ||
| Wandering Wonder | 5:46 | ||
| Flow, Part II | 3:37 | ||
| The Source | 8:01 | ||
| Over There | 7:32 | ||
| Child’s Play | 6:11 | ||
| Flow, Part III | 2:45 | ||
| Harvesting Dance | 11:42 |
“Flow exhibits that no one better balances traditionalism, provincialism and contemporary aesthetics like Blanchard. This is almost immediately evident and highlighted on “Wadagbe,” the album’s third cut. Blachard’s instantly recognizable, clarion-call horn-tone is still there, as is the native New Orleanian’s homage to the Nola stomp and mardi gras Indian chants, plus a classically lyrical jazz-head and an end-song coda that singes. Guitarist Lionel Loueke, still in his early 30s at the time, wrote “Wadagbe” and Benny Golson tribute “Benny’s Tune.” Young drummer Kendrick Scott wrote album-standout “The Source.” In fact, Blanchard handles sole writing duties of just one song on the album, “Wandering Wonder,” allowing his younger sidemen’s voices to shine.” ALLMUSIC.COM
“The most purely evocative piece comes from the pen of bassist Derrick Hodge: “Over There” begins as a quiet lament and gradually builds to a fever pitch, its cinematic cadence provoking a monumental and expressive solo from Blanchard.” Nate Chinen, Jazz Times
“The elements that contribute to this atmospheric effort are Blanchard’s signature horn sound, a fiery young band, and a masterful blend of acoustic and electronic instrumentation. The music is very modern and has an almost global theme, with sounds from New Orleans to West Africa and beyond—both centered and exotic.” Mark F. Turner, AllAboutJazz
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