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

A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) is a studio album recorded in 2007 by the Terence Blanchard Quintet. The album was originally released on August 14, 2007 (2007-08-14) by Blue Note Records.

A Tale of God's Will
(A Requiem for Katrina)
Studio album by
Terence Blanchard
ReleasedAugust 14, 2007 (2007-08-14)
StudioConway Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; Bastyr University, Kenmore, Washington
GenreJazz
Length69:13
LabelBlue Note
ProducerTerence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard chronology
Flow
(2005)		 A Tale of God's Will
(A Requiem for Katrina)
(2007)		 Choices
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[1]
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[3]
Jazzwise[4]
PopMatters[5]
Sputnikmusic3.8/5[6]
Tom HullB+[7]

In 2008, Blanchard 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".[8] Also, JazzTimes included the album in its "Jazz Albums with Strings" list, ranking it #6.[9]

Background

Film director Spike Lee commissioned New Orleans native Terence Blanchard to compose the score for his 2006 four-hour HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, 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 Lee's documentary. Blanchard's mother, Wilhelmina, lost her Pontchartrain Park home in the tragedy but survived.[10]

For 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 "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.[11]

In his interview for Socialist Review Blanchard explained, "I drew inspiration from the stories people had told me about their experiences in the aftermath of the hurricane. It wasn't so much about music for me. It was really more about what people had to endure. I just want people to reflect on what happened here and what people had to deal with, and how things can go terribly wrong in what is supposed to be the richest country in the world."[12]

Reception

Will Layman of PopMatters awarded the album nine points out of 10, stating "Taken as a whole, two elements of this recording stand out. First, Blanchard and his group play selflessly, without reaching for flashy effects or long solos. Everything about this record is about bringing the compositions to full fruition, and the improvisation always sounds integrated with the full purpose of the music. Second, every element of the record is incorporated into its theme. Even the tracks that are somewhat disparate (a swinging duet between bass and trumpet on "Ghost of Betsy" and a fragmentary tenor solo on "Ghost of 1927", particularly) play as interludes that breathe life into the project between larger movements."[5] Larry Blumenfeld of Entertainment Weekly commented "Accompanied by an orchestra, Blanchard’s quintet moves elegantly from African rhythms to modern swing to balladic repose, his horn’s curled pleas and soaring declarations channeling both pain and resilience. It’s the Katrina story CNN can’t tell, masterfully told".[3] John Swenson of OffBeat added "A Tale of God’s Will is an expansion of the music Blanchard and his band made for the Lee documentary, and it moves with the epic scope of the flood itself".[13]

A reviewer of Reuters noted "What started as a gig scoring Spike Lee’s HBO documentary “When the Levees Broke” has been imaginatively expanded by trumpeter Terence Blanchard into this epic-length, orchestral-string masterwork. As the two-year anniversary of the New Orleans deluge approaches, the Crescent City native delivers his compelling and poignant reflections on the catastrophe, with the support of his quintet and the 40-piece Northwest Sinfonia. In the tunes, there is anger and angst, lush melody and woeful wails, pockets of grace and flood waters of melancholy. Four “Levees” numbers are in the mix, with revitalized arrangements, including the prodding, ominous “The Water” and the painfully anguished “Funeral Dirge.” Of particular note are three impromptu short “ghost” pieces, as well as originals by Blanchard’s band members, highlighted by pianist Aaron Park’s lyrical gem “Ashe” and saxophonist Brice Winston’s heart-rending “In Time of Need.”[14] Chris May of All About Jazz wrote "Blanchard's no-frills, in-the-tradition, testifying trumpet, which is the main solo voice, rings out powerfully and affectingly throughout. He blows like a blues player sings, by turns angry, plaintive, stoic, hopeful and elegiac—and, almost tangibly, always from the heart".[1] Josh Jackson of NPR observed, "this recording reveals what many jazz fans know: Blanchard is a powerful storyteller."[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Terence Blanchard except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Ghost of Congo Square" (Blanchard, Hodge, Scott)3:01
2."Levees"8:07
3."Wading Through"6:27
4."Ashé" (Aaron Parks)8:18
5."In Time of Need" (Brice Winston)7:53
6."Ghost of Betsy"1:58
7."The Water"4:07
8."Mantra Intro" (Kendrick Scott)3:22
9."Mantra" (Kendrick Scott)9:49
10."Over There" (Derrick Hodge)7:43
11."Ghost of 1927"1:38
12."Funeral Dirge"5:51
13."Dear Mom"3:39
Total length:69:13

Personnel

Band

  • Terence Blanchard – conductor, trumpet, orchestration, producer, liner notes,
  • Brice Winston – soprano sax, tenor sax, liner notes
  • Derrick Hodge – double bass, bass guitar, liner notes
  • Aaron Parks – piano, orchestration, liner notes,
  • Kendrick Scott – drums, percussion, orchestration
  • Zach Harmon – tabla and happy apple

Production

Chart performance
Chart (2007) Peak
position
US Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)[17] 6
Billboard 200[18] 8

References
  1. May, Chris (November 21, 2007). "Terence Blanchard: Choices". All About Jazz. allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  2. Edelstein, Paula. "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) - Terence Blanchard | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  3. Blumenfeld, Larry (August 24, 2007). "A Tale of God's Will". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  4. Le Gendre, Kevin (29 August 2007). "TERENCE BLANCHARD - A TAKE OF GOD'S WILL (A REQUIEM FOR KATRINA)". Jazzwise. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. LAYMAN, WILL (14 August 2007). "Terence Blanchard: A Tale of Gods Will". PopMatters. popmatters.com. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  6. "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)". Sputnikmusic. sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  7. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Terence Blanchard". Tom Hull. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  8. 2008 Grammy Award list Archived 2007-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  9. West, Michael J. (18 July 2019). "JazzTimes 10: Jazz Albums with Strings - Page 6 of 10". JazzTimes. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  10. NOLO: And the winners might be
  11. The Times-Picayune: Terence Blanchard Interview
  12. Smith, Martin (March 2008). "Requiem for Katrina: A Tale of God's Will by Terence Blanchard". Socialist Review. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  13. Swenson, John (1 September 2007). "Terence Blanchard, A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina) (Blue Note)". OffBeat. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  14. "Billboard CD reviews: Thompson, Blanchard". Reuters. reuters.com. August 11, 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  15. Jackson, Josh (August 14, 2007). "Terence Blanchard: Musical Musings on 'God's Will'". NPR. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  16. "A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) - Terence Blanchard | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  17. "Terence Blanchard". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  18. "Terence Blanchard". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
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