Blanchard was born in New Orleans, and after studying piano switched to trumpet at the age of eight. He played alongside his childhood friend Wynton Marsalis at summer camp, and after graduating from Rutgers, Blanchard toured with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, eventually becoming musical director. Blanchard is a prolific sideman as well as bandleader in his own right, playing with everyone from Stevie Wonder to McCoy Tyner. He has recorded albums for Blue Note and Columbia, and his album “Flow” was produced by Herbie Hancock. Most notably, he has written the film score for every Spike Lee film since 1991, and composed two operas, the second of which – “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” – was the first work by an African-American composer to be performed by the New York Metropolitan Opera.
