Terence Blanchard & The E-Collective

Over a remarkable four-decade career, Terence Blanchard has emerged as one of America’s most influential and multi-dimensional musical voices. An eight-time Grammy winner and two-time Oscar-nominated composer, Blanchard blends his virtuosic jazz trumpet skills with powerful, cinematic storytelling that spans film, opera, and symphonic works.

He is widely known for scoring over 20 Spike Lee films, including Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman, and Da 5 Bloods. But his cultural impact reaches far beyond film: in 2021, Blanchard became the first Black composer to premiere an opera at the Metropolitan Opera with Fire Shut Up in My Bones, hailed by The New York Times as “a bold and affecting adaptation” and winner of the Grammy for Best Opera Recording.

Blanchard’s recent works continue to break barriers. His second opera, Champion, about boxer Emile Griffith, also debuted at the Met and earned another Grammy. Whether composing for the concert hall or playing trumpet center stage, Blanchard’s sound is unmistakable: lyrical, emotionally charged, and rooted in justice.

At Indy Jazz Fest 2025, Blanchard appears with his electric jazz ensemble, The E-Collective—a genre-defying band known for its soulful blend of jazz, R&B, and groove-driven fusion. Their performance promises not just music, but a message—blending artistry with activism in a way that only Blanchard can.