Search - Terence Blanchard :: Caveman's Valentine (Soundtrack)

With the encouragement of director Spike Lee, modern-jazz trumpeter-composer Terence Blanchard branched out into films, first as an actor and musician (including work in Do the Right Thing, School Daze, and Mo' Better Blues) then full-time scoring with Jungle Fever and Malcolm X. Lee's good judgment has paid off again with the score to this murder mystery revolving around a mentally ill classical musician (Samuel L. Jackson) and his efforts to unravel the crime. Blanchard's score is a true revelation, a sophisticated musical journey that seamlessly evokes classical flourishes, minimalism, jazz, and postmodernism, yet never succumbs to the mere mechanics of style or technique. From its clever opening (an orchestra tuning up, with the instruments playing snippets of the score's various themes), Blanchard evokes the film's musical foundations and background with largely piano-based compositions that essentially form two subtly distinct halves, taking the listener on a deeply satisfying musical journey from troubling madness to emotional triumph and hope. A gratifying argument that not only is the art of the film score still alive and well, it can often be some of the most rewarding and adventurous work to be found in contemporary music. --Jerry McCulley