Miracle At St. Anna (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Trumpeter Terence Blanchard first came into the spotlight as a member of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the mid-‘80s. One of a number of neo-traditionalists who emerged in that decade, Blanchard has gone on to have a successful career as both a jazz recording artist and a soundtrack composer. His first film score credit was for the 1991 Spike Lee film, Jungle Fever, and the two have frequently worked together since then. For their 12th collaboration, Blanchard composed the music for Lee’s Miracle At St. Anna, which details the story of four African-American soldiers trapped in an Italian village in World War II. The music can be intimate, as on the solo piano piece titled “Opening Credits,” or as grand as the full-tilt orchestral sweep found on “War Is Hell – Final Battle.” Not surprisingly, martial percussion frequently crops up, including the off-kilter rhythms that mark the ominous “Third Reich.” Rootsy elements also make appearances: “Renata You’re Beautiful Theme” features accordion while “Main Theme at Herb’s” incorporates some bottleneck guitar. As various motifs and other elements repeat and are reconfigured, the music tells its own story.