T. K. Blue

Did You Know?

• He was part of the June 2008 photo session 'A Great Day In Paris,' which featured more than 50 American musicians who resided there.
• He performed in Randy Weston's African Rhythms band for 38 years, serving as music director and arranger from 1989.

Biography

T. K. Blue was born in the Bronx, New York, to a Trinidadian mother and Jamaican father, and grew up on Long Island. He began playing trumpet from ages eight to ten, switched to drums for a year, and at 17 dedicated himself to music by learning flute. He won a full scholarship to New York University, where from 1971 to 1975 he double-majored in Music and Psychology, concentrating on the saxophone. While living in the East Village, he participated in the Jazzmobile program, studying jazz theory, harmony, sight-reading, rhythmic training, improvisation, and big-band performance with Jimmy Heath, Chris Woods, Sonny Red, Frank Foster, Jimmy Owens, Ernie Wilkins, Thad Jones, and Billy Taylor.

At Jazz Interactions he studied with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef, and Joe Newman, and at the Henry Street Settlement with Billy Mitchell and bassist Paul West. In 1979 he earned a Master's degree in Music Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. From 1977 to 1980 he performed and traveled extensively with Abdullah Ibrahim, billed under names including Talib Qadr, Talib Qadir Kibwe, and Talib Abdul Kadr. He moved to Paris in December 1981 and remained until 1989.

In 1986 he recorded his first album as a leader, Egyptian Oasis, which led to State Department tours to some 20 countries in Africa. Since returning to the United States in 1990, he has worked constantly in a wide range of styles and recorded his second CD, Introducing Talib Kibwe, released on Evidence in 1996. Later recordings include Follow the North Star (2008), a suite inspired by Solomon Northup commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts; Latin Bird (2011), highly recommended by AllMusic's Ken Dryden; and A Warm Embrace (2014), described by All About Jazz as 'simply a beautiful work of art.'

His 2019 album The Rhythms Continue is a tribute to Randy Weston, with whom Blue worked from the 1980s, taking on the role of music director and arranger in 1989. The New York City Jazz Record called it 'possibly his most heartfelt, a dedication to the memory of his longtime employer and mentor.' Blue's 2023 release The Tide of Love earned acclaim from All About Jazz as 'a striking album ... that offers a diverse and engaging musical journey.' His most recent album, Planet Bluu, was released in October 2024 to positive reviews, with DownBeat giving it a four-star rating and calling it 'so special.'