Terence Blanchard and his band the E-Collective are back with a new album entitled Live, set to drop April 20th on Blue Note Records. Following their politically-charged 2015 release Breathless, aimed at raising awareness against police brutality (more specifically the Eric Garner incident), Live is the next logical step in the progression taking aim at the staggering cyclical epidemic of gun violence in America. The music of Live was symbolically recorded at venues in three communities that have experience escalating conflicts between law enforcement and African American citizens and condemns gun violence of all manner whether against profiled citizens of color or targeted members of law enforcement. Joining Blanchard are Charles Altura on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano and synthesizers, Oscar Seaton on drums, and new addition David “DJ” Ginyard on bass.
Discussing the origin of the E-Collective, Blanchard states, “I didn’t put this group together to be a protest band. We started out wanting to play music to inspire young people… However, while we were on tour in Europe, Mike Brown got shot. Trayvon Martin had already been murdered. And back then it seemed like these shootings were happening every month. That’s when I felt we had to stand up and make a statement with our 2015 album, Breathless. After touring that music for two years, we couldn’t just let it go. This band represents the best of America’s ideals. We’re five very different personalities with different visions who play together for a common goal: creating music that hopefully heals hearts and opens minds. Live is an album for these troubled times yet it’s also an album filled with hope. We want to encourage listeners to speak out and talk to those around them, discuss with those around them and heal with those around them.”
Stream “Dear Jimi”, the lead single off Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective’s upcoming release Live, below. The album drops April 20th on Blue Note Records.