About this Event
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About this Event:
On April 30 th - International Jazz Day, the T. K. (Talib Kibwe) Blue saxophonist and
flautist Trio perform music from T. K.’s recent album "Planet Bluu" and also
recognize the 99th birthday anniversary and musical contributions of T. K.’s mentor,
NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Master pianist Dr. Randy Weston, for
whom T. K. was music director and arranger for many years. T.K. will also salute
his friend, Benny Powell, trombonist for years with the Count Basie Orchestra and
who also performed at the Cornerstone Restaurant in Metuchen years ago!
T.K. Blue---saxophonist, flautist, composer, arranger, and educator---was born and
raised in New York City, studying jazz in his youth at well-recognized music
organizations of the time, including Jazzmobile, Jazz interactions, The Henry
Street Settlement and the Muse. Blue learned to play flute in high school and
then the saxophone in college. T. K. earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and
Psychology from New York University and a Master’s Degree in Music Education
from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. He taught at Roosevelt Pre -K,
Suffolk Community College, Montclair State. University and Long Island University
LIU – Post where he was the Director of Jazz Studies yrs 2007 to 2014. He currently also
offers workshops for high school students and band directors. T.K. Blue serves as a jazz
adjudicator at high school jazz band competitions, including
this year’s NJAJE High School Jazz Band State Finals Competition on Saturday, May
3, 2025 at JP Stevens High School in Edison, NJ.
T. K. Blue has 19 recordings under his name with Planet Bluu being the most
recent. “This latest creative project is being released on the heels of him (Blue)
performing with the Herbie Hancock Institute at the 2024 International Jazz Day
Concert in Tangiers, Morocco. I also enjoyed The Bluu Seas of Our Tomorrows.
Great title and excellent composition where T. K. Blue soars and shines on his
saxophone. He transports me back to the John Coltrane heyday with this
wonderful arrangement.”-Dee Dee McNeil – Making A Scene, Sept. 19. 2024.
T.K.’s list of musicians with whom he has performed– in addition to Randy
Weston and Benny Powell -- is extensive and covers a wide variety of jazz styles.
Some of the musicians include: Don Cherry, Jaki Byard’s Apollo Stompers, Ted
Daniel’s Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Melba Liston, Dizzy
Gillespie, Russell Malone, Shahib Shahab, Benny Bailey, Mulgrew Miller, Arturo
O’Farrill, Stefon Harris, Carl Allen, Monty Alexander, Regina Carter, Warren Wolf
and many others.
T. K. Blue’s musical connection with Africa runs deep. Having lived close to 10
years in Paris, Blue was hired by the USIA to embark on three state department
tours of Africa. Blue’s musical journey unfolded in years 2019 and 2020 with his
12 th CD as a leader, entitled The Rhythms Continue, dedicated to two NEA Jazz
Masters, Dr. Randy Weston and trombonist/composer/arranger Melba Liston. T.
K. is featured in a documentary film about Randy Weston titled “An African Born
in America” which premiered in Dakar, Senegal in November 2021. On May 27,
2023, Blue performed at the Saint Louis Jazz Festival in Senegal with his Quartet
and then on June 19 th he performed in collaboration with the traditional musicians
of Morocco known as the Gnawa. They performed a concert at the American
Legation in Tangier, Morocco, which is the oldest foreign American diplomatic
post in the world and the only national monument outside the continental USA.
Last year on April 30, 2024, he performed at The International Jazz Day Concert
with the Herbie Hancock Institute in Tangiers, Morocco.
T. K. Blue performs regularly at venues on the East Coast including Minton’s
Playhouse, The Django, Smoke, The Rose Theater, The Kennedy Center, Chris Café, Zinc
Bar and others, as well as, recently in the Caribbean Islands of
Guadalope, Trinidad and Tobago.
T.K. Blue performs on the first Friday of each month at Brothers Smokehouse in
Ramsey, NJ at their Jazz Friday concerts. www.tkblue.com
Phot Credit: Adam Z and Art Photo
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Metuchen Borough Public Library, 480 Middlesex Avenue, Metuchen, United States
USD 0.00
