March 3- 9, 2005

musicpicks

Terence Blanchard

jazz

Bounce, Terence Blanchard's latest, slides into a cool groove right from the get-go and doesn't let go. It's level-headed mainstream/post-bop material from a group that's surprisingly mature considering that, other than 41-year-old Blanchard, the rest of the band is a bunch of young turks. A seasoned soundtrack composer whose credits include many Spike Lee flicks, Blanchard has made his mark on disc as a trumpeter of warmth and restraint. Likewise, his band adopts a relaxed attitude with tunes that emit an assiduous energy that simmers and occasionally roils but steers clear of boiling fulminations. That could just be a studio thing, because the band has been known to cook on a high burner in live performance. This ensemble's got tough chops capable of zealous improvisation, and odds are once in front of a live audience, they'll be more than happy to let loose.

Fri., March 4, 8 p.m., $22-$46, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900.

—Deni Kasrel