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Accolades Abound for T.K. Blue "Planet Bluu" "Full of twists and turns ... that certainly blow the cobwebs away ... something to get the adrenaline flowing...” ~ lance-bebopspokenhere.blogspot.com “Complex arrangements, filled with fascinating solos, and yet flows effortlessly.” ~ The Blade “Different styles are combined into seamless grooving wholes.” ~ The Arts Fuse “…an ethereal space, with the leader’s sharp and lyrical tone weaving through intricate layers and creating a dynamic conversation between melody and rhythm.” ~ The New York Jazz Record “…one of his most significant and compelling works to date” ~ Russell Trunk's Exclusive Magazine Planet Bluu creates a world that “lies just beyond the realm of our imagination, ” says Blue. Describing it as “a dream so fragile that if you whisper its presence, this magnanimous world might vanish into thin air, ” Blue delights that “Planet Bluu is a place devoid of war, famine, systemic racism, gender discrimination, and religious intolerance.” Yet, while “this ebullient planet lies just beyond the boundaries of our galaxy in a perpetual state of munificence, ” to use T.K.’s words, here on “terra firma, ” he and his colleagues “had music to make!” Blue identifies the effervescent quality of African hand pianos on Planet Bluu as the sonic source of the album’s ineffable vision. In addition to being a formidable saxophonist and flautist, T.K. is a master player of these instruments, including the kalimba, sanza, lukembi, mbira, and bongo which differ in name according to the regional origins of their distinct constructions, tunings, and timbres. A little about T.K.... On the heels of performing with the Herbie Hancock Institute at the 2024 International Jazz Day Concert in Tangier, Morocco and the 2024 NEA Jazz Master Award Ceremony as leader and musical director of the African Rhythms Alumni Ensemble, T.K. Blue, has released Planet Bluu, one of his most compelling and significant works to date. Having performed and recorded closely with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and NEA Jazz Masters Dr. Randy Weston, Abdullah Ibrahim and Jimmy Scott, leading saxophonist, flutist, composer, arranger, and educator T.K. Blue offers this latest release as his 14th album as band leader. Planet Bluu features trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr., pianist Davis Whitfield, bassist Dishan Harper, and drummer Orion Turre, as well as Steve Turre on trombone and shells (“Planet Bluu, ” “Chrystal Lake Bluu, ” “Chessman’s Delight”) and Dave Kikoski on piano (“When It’s Time to Say Goodbye”). Speaking of the master artist’s vast body of work, New York’s Hot House Jazz Guide has hailed T.K. Blue’s “supple and at times searing tone on alto and flute, ” and taken note of his “Afro-diasporic eclipse of jazz [with] West Indian and Latin rhythms, and Gnawa music from Morocco.” All About Jazz has praised his “skill, passion, and commitment to musical diversity.” And, describing his 2017 album Amour, DownBeat wrote that Blue “exudes armloads of dexterity and guileless charm… [He] is a craftsman so in love with his work that it doesn’t even feel like work.” Upcoming Shows: Winter 2024/25 Sat. Dec. 7 – The Fort Fleur D'Epee, Guadeloupe (African Rhythms Alumni Ensemble tribute to NEA Jazz Master Dr Randy Weston) Sat. Dec. 14 – Villa Roma, Catskills Festival (Planet Bluu Music) Fri. Dec. 27 – Brothers Smokehouse, Ramsey N.J. (Planet Bluu Music) Sun. Dec. 29 – Minton's Playhouse, Harlem NYC (Planet Bluu Music) Fri. Jan 24 – Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, N.Y.C. (with pianist Monty Alexander) Sat. Jan 31 – Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, N.Y.C. (with pianist Monty Alexander) Fri. Jan. 31 – Brothers Smokehouse, Ramsey N.J. (Planet Bluu Music) February 2025 Month of February on hold for a trip to Ghana, West Africa |
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