A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) is a studio album recorded in 2007 by the Terence Blanchard Quintet. The album was originally released on by Blue Note Records.
In 2008, Blanchard won a Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, and was nominated for Best Jazz Instrument Solo for his work on the song "Levees". Also, JazzTimes included the album in its "Jazz Albums with Strings" list, ranking it #6.
Film director Spike Lee commissioned New Orleans native Terence Blanchard to compose the score for his 2006 four-hour HBO documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, to show the agony of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In 2007, Blanchard recorded A Tale of God's Will, which contains parts ("The Water", "Levees", "Wading Through", and "Funeral Dirge") of the recording that were heard in Lee's documentary. Blanchard's mother, Wilhelmina, lost her Pontchartrain Park home in the tragedy but survived.
In his interview for Socialist Review Blanchard explained, "I drew inspiration from the stories people had told me about their experiences in the aftermath of the hurricane. It wasn't so much about music for me. It was really more about what people had to endure. I just want people to reflect on what happened here and what people had to deal with, and how things can go terribly wrong in what is supposed to be the richest country in the world."
Will Layman of PopMatters awarded the album nine points out of 10, stating "Taken as a whole, two elements of this recording stand out. First, Blanchard and his group play selflessly, without reaching for flashy effects or long solos. Everything about this record is about bringing the compositions to full fruition, and the improvisation always sounds integrated with the full purpose of the music. Second, every element of the record is incorporated into its theme. Even the tracks that are somewhat disparate (a swinging duet between bass and trumpet on "Ghost of Betsy" and a fragmentary tenor solo on "Ghost of 1927", particularly) play as interludes that breathe life into the project between larger movements." Larry Blumenfeld of Entertainment Weekly commented "Accompanied by an orchestra, BlanchardâÂÂs quintet moves elegantly from African rhythms to modern swing to balladic repose, his hornâÂÂs curled pleas and soaring declarations channeling both pain and resilience. ItâÂÂs the Katrina story CNN canâÂÂt tell, masterfully told". John Swenson of OffBeat added "A Tale of GodâÂÂs Will is an expansion of the music Blanchard and his band made for the Lee documentary, and it moves with the epic scope of the flood itself".
A reviewer of Reuters noted "What started as a gig scoring Spike LeeâÂÂs HBO documentary âÂÂWhen the Levees Brokeâ has been imaginatively expanded by trumpeter Terence Blanchard into this epic-length, orchestral-string masterwork. As the second anniversary of the New Orleans deluge approaches, the Crescent City native delivers his compelling and poignant reflections on the catastrophe, with the support of his quintet and the 40-piece Northwest Sinfonia. In the tunes, there is anger and angst, lush melody and woeful wails, pockets of grace and flood waters of melancholy. Four âÂÂLeveesâ numbers are in the mix, with revitalized arrangements, including the prodding, ominous âÂÂThe Waterâ and the painfully anguished âÂÂFuneral Dirge.â Of particular note are three impromptu short âÂÂghostâ pieces, as well as originals by BlanchardâÂÂs band members, highlighted by pianist Aaron ParkâÂÂs lyrical gem âÂÂAsheâ and saxophonist Brice WinstonâÂÂs heart-rending âÂÂIn Time of Need.â Chris May of All About Jazz wrote "Blanchard's no-frills, in-the-tradition, testifying trumpet, which is the main solo voice, rings out powerfully and affectingly throughout. He blows like a blues player sings, by turns angry, plaintive, stoic, hopeful and elegiacâÂÂand, almost tangibly, always from the heart". Josh Jackson of NPR observed, "this recording reveals what many jazz fans know: Blanchard is a powerful storyteller."
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