The word “jazz” is far too narrow for the musicianship of multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator T.K. Blue. Over his four decades in the music scene, he has developed a distinct sound that encompass his Afro-Caribbean roots, straight-ahead jazz, African rhythms derived from his implementation of indigenous instruments — influenced by his touring with the great South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim — and his many years with genius pianist, composer, and Pan African Randy Weston (he was also Weston’s musical director), and his sweet blues melodies reflect his time as musical director for the incomparable balladeer Jimmy Scott.
“I learned so much from Randy, Jimmy, and Abdullah, not only music but the history and cultural heritage of our ancestors, which is so important. My role is to carry the music forward while always paying tribute to the ancestors,” said Blue during our phone conversation.
On December 13, Blue will celebrate The Ladies In Jazz and honor legendary trombonist, arranger, and NEA Jazz Master Melba Liston, at Sistas’ Place (456 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn), with two sets at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Blue will be joined by an all-female band featuring trombonist Deborah Smith (age 22), bassist Kim Clarke, pianist Kelly Green, drummer Camille Jones, and Blue on alto and soprano saxophones, flute, and kalimba. His repertoire will glow with Liston compositions he’d previously recorded, like “Amour,” “Elpus,” “Insomnia,” a few he didn’t record, along with some of his originals dedicated to her, and some of Weston’s songs that she arranged.
Liston began collaborating with Weston in the late 1950s, arranging compositions (primarily his own) for mid-sized to large ensembles, including “Four African Queens” arranged for his sextet, and his groundbreaking “Uhuru Afrika Suite.” Their collaborative effort has been compared to the creative team of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. This association continued until Liston’s death.
“Melba caught hell as a woman musician and arranger, she explained to me, it was so bad that even as an only female band member of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, her bandmates refused to play her compositions, Dizzy exclaimed, ‘this is my band, either you play her music or walk.’ Once playing, they found her arrangements well worth the effort and looked forward to more,” recalled Blue. The Kansas City native was influential in the early days of the Motown Sound, credited for the string arrangements for the Temptations hit “My Girl.” She was responsible for the musical arrangements for the esteemed Boston Pops Symphony; she also worked with Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Frank Sinatra, and Arthur Prysock. ‘I first met Melba through [pianist] Billy Mitchell, but I got to know her while I was working with Randy,” said Blue.
Liston will celebrate her 100th Centennial on January 11, 2026. “We are celebrating her centennial early, but there will be many more celebrations to come in her honor,” said Blue.
For reservations, call (718) 398-1766 or visit sistasplace.org.
Back in Manhattan on December 19, Blue performs two sets, 10:30 p.m. and midnight, at The Django (2 Ave. of the Americas) on the lower level of the Roxy Hotel, band members TBA. He will play music from his well-received current CD “Planet Bluu” (JAJA Records). This marks the saxophonist’s 16th outing as a leader, featuring a well-rounded intergenerational ensemble of rising stars like trumpeter Wallace Roney, Jr., pianist Davis Whitfield, bassist Dishan Harper, drummer Orion Turre, and the great contributions of trombonist and shells Steve Turre, pianist Dave Kikoski, and Blue on alto, soprano saxes, alto flute, and kalimba.
“Planet Bluu” is a colorful tapestry of 11 tracks composed by Blue, with the exception of “When It’s Time To Say Goodbye” composed by Hale Smith and Chessman’s Delight, composed by Randy Weston. This latter composition, arranged by Blue, has a big, bold brass sound with a big swing. Turre spouts trombone riffs as Roney and Blue play under and around; everyone gets mean on this one, strictly out of the hard bop zone: riveting saxophone and Whitfield’s piano spontaneity with a combustion of horn lines. “The Blue Sea of Our Tomorrows” opens with the kalimba laying grooves for jaunting brass, Whitfield’s piano conversing in Turre’s drum intensity, and the outer realm rhythms of alto sax. This fierce flow has become Blue’s trademark sound. The Hale composition “When It’s Time To Say Goodbye” is a beautiful ballad duo with Kikoski playing heartfelt notes in a concerto groove, with Blue just as mesmerizing on alto.
The Planet Bluu represents a life in the future, a life to strive for now amid such confusion and negativity. Blue describes the “Planet Bluu” thusly: “Planet Bluu lies just beyond the realm of our imagination. It’s a dream so fragile that if you whisper its presence, this magnanimous world might vanish into thin air. Planet Bluu is a place devoid of war, famine, systemic racism, gender discrimination, and religious intolerance.” It is a planet needed and desired at this moment in time.
For reservations, visit thedjangonyc.com or call 212-519-6649.
“The Lost Negroes of North America” has sparked conversation and immediate reflection by viewers, with rave reviews and critical acclaim from many historians (both Black and white), since it first premiered in Minneapolis in 2023. The independent journalist and documentary film producer Ralph L. Crowder III, based in Minneapolis, makes his way to New York to premiere his unique silent film on December 14 at Symphony Space (250 West 95th Street), 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Crowder’s ”The Lost Negroes of North America” examines northern family and community life in South Minneapolis from 1945–1955. The decade following the conclusion of World War II is a rich period in American history and progress, but still, is also a time when African American contributions to family, education, social institutions, and collective wealth are often overlooked.
The silent film experience includes rare 8mm footage that captures an interesting visual irony in the same neighborhood as George Floyd’s death, generations later. One question raised by this timely look into history could be, was the Negro’s environment then more progressive than the present?
This silent film will be accompanied by a live jazz trio with a post-screening Q&A including Crowder and a panel of special guests.
For tickets, visit symphonyspace.org.