This month marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's assault upon the city of New Orleans. The suffering and hardship of that city's citizens no longer makes headlines, but the havoc caused by the storm is something many people still live with on a daily basis. Jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is one of those people. A son of the Crescent City and musical descendant of fellow New Orleanians Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, and Wynton Marsalis, Blanchard's latest release on the Blue Note label, entitled A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina), is a somber and plaintive look back on how Mother Nature and the country at large betrayed a great American city.

The recording is a powerful and emotional song cycle that invites the listener to contemplate and meditate on the nuance and subtlety of the music while considering the purpose behind its creation. The music on A Tale of God's Will was written for, and inspired by, Spike Lee's exceptional documentary for HBO, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Blanchard is a close collaborator of Lee, for whom he has scored several films.

As such, this is not a traditional jazz recording that draws immediate comparisons with its contemporaries, because as one would expect from a film soundtrack, the music is heavily orchestrated. Blanchard and his bandmates, who also composed for the album, veer away from traditional jazz rhythms for the most part, and adopt a more current compositional approach. While many associate the music of New Orleans with a rich tradition, these songs are not historical documents; they are about a city that is presently in distress and faces an uncertain future. Blanchard, however, recognizes that improvisation is at the root of jazz and New Orleans' musical heritage and so he wisely incorporates moments when the musicians get the chance to stretch out and blow.

Photo by Nitin Vadukul; taken from Terence Blanchard's website

The CD contains many standout tracks and no weak moments. "Levees" is built on a melodic motif that is repeated with varying levels of intensity and evokes images of the actual storm. "Wading Through," "Ashe," and "Water," act as tone poems that evoke the imagery of the floodwaters overcoming the the city and then coming to rest, creating an eerie stillness. "Mantra," and its introductory piece, are a prayer for the city's future while "Funeral Dirge" is a prayer for the city's dead. Though Blanchard does not necessarily recreate New Orleans' musical heritage on the CD, the ensemble does give nods to the city's history in the form of a series of interludes in memory of Hurricane Betsy, the flood of 1927, and the storied cradle of jazz, Congo Square. The most emotional moment on the record comes in the form of "Dear Mom," the album's closing track written for Blanchard's mother who lost her home because of the storm.

A Tale of God's Will is one of the most important jazz releases of the year, not only because of its musical merits, but also because of the message behind the music. The recording shows us that New Orleans is a city in peril which the powers-that-be are ignoring. It is telling that Blanchard and Co. will be in town this coming weekend at Blues Alley for a CD release event. Having this event is Blanchard's musical lobbying effort to bring attention to the continuing hardship in his beloved city -- and Washington should take notice.

Terence Blanchard will be performing at Blues Alley this Thursday through Sunday with daily 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets are available here. $27.50 + $10 food/drink minimum.