Terence Blanchard did the Bay Area proud during his performance at Super Bowl LIX.
Yes, he also did the host city proud — his hometown of New Orleans — especially given that the trumpeter’s performance was part of a really cool tribute to the Crescent City that came before the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles faced off on Sunday at Caesars Superdome.
Yet, the supremely talented trumpeter — who is also a celebrated band leader and an Oscar-nominated film composer — also has strong Bay Area ties due to his role as the executive artistic director of the San Francisco-based SFJAZZ.
He is also known to play at the arts-organization’s wonderful performance space — the SFJAZZ Center. Indeed, he just performed a four-night stand at the space back in late January. (Read our Terence Blanchard SFJAZZ Center Night 1 review here.)
Harry Connick Jr. — another one of Fat City’s many notable native sons — was an obvious choice to introduce the joyous tribute to the music of New Orleans. He’d do a good job pumping up the audience for the show, which kicked off with Blanchard on trumpet.
That spotlight came and went pretty quick, but it was still enough to showcase to tens of millions of TV viewers that Blanchard is a force to be reckoned with on trumpet.
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From there, the tribute would feature the Soul Rebels, Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band, the Spirit of New Orleans Gospel Choir and — of course — a return of Connick to add some of his vocals and musicality to the mix as the tribute drew to a close.
Sticking with the New Orleans angle, Louisiana locals Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty would later combine forces for a festive take on “America the Beautiful” and then Jon Batiste followed with the national anthem.
