Politics, social issues and some hard knocks get the attention of Terence Blanchard

When Terence Blanchard blasted onto the jazz scene in the early 1980s as one of the card-carrying “Young Lions,” he was known for a time as “the other” trumpet player. Not for long. Blanchard quickly carved out a place for himself on the scene, first taking over trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’ chair with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the mid-’80s, then segueing into an ensemble he led with saxophonist Donald Harrison. Now a “lion in his middle years,” Blanchard has kept busy with his own solo work as well as writing scores to numerous films for many of Spike Lee’s vehicles -- “Jungle Fever,” “Malcolm X,” “The 25th Hour,” “Clockers.”

Most recently, the New Orleans native has been touring in support of his latest recording -- “A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina).” That, he says, and “constantly refining my tuning technique and expanding my knowledge, rhythm and harmony and exploring all possible combinations based on heartfelt responses to the social surroundings.” He shared with Lynell George a few other things on his radar.

TV PICKS: “The Contender,” for the competitive nature of amateur sports; “NFL Countdown,” for the humor that is intertwined with information about picks and team strategies; “Law & Order,” because of the intense drama; “Boston Legal,” for the intelligent humor.

IN HEAVY ROTATION ON iPOD: “First 48 Hours,” “Comic View,” Kendrick Scott’s “The Source.”

SOUNDTRACK FOR THE COMMUTE: A mix CD filled with Dwele, Anthony Hamilton, D’Angelo, Prince.

BEDSTAND LIBRARY: “Electronic Musician,” “Mix,” “Keyboard,” “An Autobiography of a Yogi.”

TOP INTERNET DESTINATIONS:

CNN.com, Harmony Central, ESPN.com, Unicorn Nation. Unicorn Nation is a user community dedicated to the discussion of Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) software. And MOTU? It’s a developer of music software and audio recording technology for personal computers.

YOUTUBE PICKS:

Amos and Andy; Herbie Hancock, Tokyo Jazz Festival; Jeff Watts

CULTURAL ADDICTION:

Politics, the effects that they have on the community. Sports -- football and boxing. Sports cars.

SECRET WEAPON FOR NAVIGATING THE CULTURE: Talking to young people, keeping eyes and ears open.

-- Lynell George