Saxophonist, composer, and Django favorite T.K. Blue has carved out a singular sonic path for himself, both as an acclaimed solo artist, and as an in-demand sideman with jazz icons like Little Jimmy Scott and Randy Weston. The New York native (born in the Bronx, raised in Lakeview, Long Island) has a new album due out this October entitled Planet Bluu. In advance of its release, he made time to talk to GrandLife’s Entertainment Director Jon Regen about some of his most memorable musical experiences, many based in NYC.

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“My first exposure to jazz came via my mom Lois Rhynie,” Blue tells us. “She had Horace Silver and Louis Armstrong records. I picked up my first instrument at eight years old. It was the trumpet, because I was trying to imitate Louis!”

 

Blue hit the ground running when he started gigging around NYC. ”My first professional gig was in the Loeb Student Center at NYU, where I got my undergraduate degree in music and psychology. I made $40 and felt on top of the world! I’ve had many musical mentors that have shown me the way. It’s hard to name them all, but some of the biggest were Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, and Ernie Wilkins.”

 

Many of Blue’s most memorable performances have taken place in New York City. “One that particularly stands out was accompanying NEA Jazz Master Vocalist Jimmy Scott at the Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center,” he says. “It was my first time performing there and we had to use the same stage set up as the headliner Peter Cincotti, which was not how Jimmy would set up. To my surprise it worked and the sound was absolutely amazing. We performed the jazz standard “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and Jimmy appeared to be a little lost, like one bar behind us in the lyrics at the bridge. As soon as we hit the last section of the tune, he was right there with us on beat one. Afterwards I asked him about it and he said, “I was not lost baby, just trying to keep you on your toes!” Jimmy was unforgettable.

 

Blue returns to the Django on Halloween night, Thursday, October 31^st at 10:30 PM. Reserve your table here. We’ll be celebrating his new album Planet Bluu on JAJA Records. “It’s my 14th album as a leader,” he explains. “Last year, my album The Tide Of Love on Arkadia Records came out both on CD and vinyl. Coming up in 2025, I’m looking forward to performing with the legendary pianist Monty Alexander at the Rose Hall on January 24 and 25. It will be a retrospective of his life in music. Then in February, I plan to be in Accra, Ghana. A life in music is never boring!”