In The Beginning
T.K. Blue, also known as Talib Kibwe, was born in New York City of a Trinidadian mother and Jamaican father, but was raised on Long Island. T.K. began playing music at the age of 8 years old on trumpet, then at 10 he switched to drums. Shortly after his interest shifted to academic and athletic endeavor. While attending Malverne High School the flute became his muse.
Blue took lessons from Billy Mitchell, the legendary tenor saxophonist with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie, who in fact lived right down the street. T.K. eventually pursued music as a career after receiving a full academic scholarship to New York University, where he began playing soprano & alto saxophone. He earned a bachelor’s degree in both music and psychology. T.K. Blue went on to earn a master’s degree in music education from Teacher’s College at Columbia University.
“Coming to Jazzmobile in NYC is what did it for me. I got involved with Jazzmobile, where I studied jazz theory, harmony, sight-reading, rhythmic training, improvisation and big-band performance. It was just like going to music school every Saturday. I studied with Jimmy Heath, Chris Woods, Ernie Wilkins, Frank Foster, Sonny Red and Jimmy Owens. In addition Thad Jones and Dr. Billy Taylor would periodically attend to show their support and inspire us to perform at the highest level possible.”
T.K. also studied at Jazz Interactions in NYC with Rashaan Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef and Joe Newman. Blue attended The Henry Street Settlement in the lower eastside where he played in a large ensemble under the direction of Billy Mitchell and bass master Paul West. Lastly T.K. attended The Muse in Brooklyn where he played in a big band under the direction of world-renowned bassist Reggie Workman.
While living in the East Village of NYC during his undergraduate studies, T.K. took lessons from many elders. An early highlight in his career was when he played with Don Cherry at the famous “5 Spot” jazz club in Greenwich Village. T.K. also studied with Nadi Qamar and learned how to play the African hand piano or Kalimba.
NEA Jazz Master Abdullah Ibrahim, the great South African pianist formerly known as Dollar Brand, hired T.K. for a concert and subsequent recording date shortly after graduating from NYU, which led to several international tours. “I was able to develop when I was in Abdullah’s band because he didn’t put any restraints on me in terms of soloing. It’s an honor and privilege to be in the company of masters when they let you stretch out.” Working in this band offered the opportunity to travel to many nations and deliver performances via many media forms, while absorbing the music and culture of people around the world.
The Paris Years
After touring with Abdullah Ibrahim for three years, T.K. Blue moved to Paris, France to quench his cultural thirsts. Living in Paris afforded Blue numerous opportunities in traveling and performing in Africa.
T.K. Blue toured Europe with Sam Rivers and his eleven-piece saxophone choir called The Winds Of Manhattan, with a subsequent recording for Black Saint Records in Milan, Italy.
In Paris, T.K. connected with a group from Senegal called Xalam. He toured and recorded with Xalam for three years with the culmination in a feature film by Michel Blanc called “Marche A’ L’Ombre.”
In Paris T.K. Blue recorded his first project as a leader called Egyptian Oasis in 1986. This recording garnered many great reviews and eventually led Blue to tour Africa on three occasions for the USIA State Department, where he visited over 25 countries.
T.K. Blue met NEA Jazz Master Pianist Dr. Randy Weston while in performance with Abdullah Ibrahim at Ornette Coleman’s Artist House in NYC. Randy hired T.K. for a concert in Brooklyn and they later cemented a lasting friendship in France, where Randy lived in Annecy and T.K. in Paris. Blue went on to become Randy’s chief saxophonist/flutist, arranger, and musical director for over three decades. This union led to countless tours, recordings, concerts, clinics, radio, and television appearances.
T.K. was hired by the iconic drummer Chico Hamilton for a tour in Europe. Later he was a featured soloist alongside NEA Jazz Master Archie Shepp in South African Chris McGreggor’s Brotherhood Of Breath Big Band. They recorded a live concert in Paris and toured France and Mozambique.
After moving back to NYC in 1989, T.K. debuted as Dr. Weston’s musical director during the recording of Spirit Of Our Ancestors on Verve Records. This project featured many jazz giants: Dizzy Gillespie, Pharoah Sanders, Idrees Sulieman, Benny Powell, Billy Harper, Dewey Redman, Alex Blake, Jamil Nasser, Idres Muhammad, Big Black, and Azzedin Weston.
While residing in Paris, T.K. Blue was fortunate to meet the incredible poet Jayne Cortez in London during an international book fair organized by the late writer and activist John La Rose. He went on to become a member of Jayne’s backup band called the Firespitters, which recorded and toured internationally.
T.K. was part of a historic photo session called A Great Day In Paris, which featured close to sixty musicians from the USA.
As a Leader
T.K. Blue has worked constantly in a wide range of musical setting. He was musical director, arranger and composer with the Spirit of Life Ensemble at the world famous jazz club called Sweet Basil in NYC. He also formed a band with James Weidman called TaJa. They released their debut CD, Live At Birdland.
T.K.’s first stateside recording as a leader is entitled Introducing Talib Kibwe on Evidence Records. Coupled with his masterful facility on saxophones and flutes, compositional insight and recording experiences, T.K. is among the new breed of artist-educators fully prepared to carry the message of jazz to students of all ages.
Going into the new millennium, it was serendipitous that T.K. aligned himself with Arkadia Records, which released two CDs entitled Another Blue and Eyes Of The Elders. Blue is featured on several Arkadia Jazz All-Stars recordings, two of which are in tribute to Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Arkadia Records founder Bob Karcy comments “ T.K. is a major talent with both his playing and compositional ideas. I’m impressed by the lyricism in his soloing, even when playing at a very high energy level. I think he has a unique and very contemporary sound that comes from the past and looks to the future.”
In 2004 T.K. Blue had the extreme pleasure and privilege of joining The Jazz Expressions, which was the backup band for NEA Jazz Master and vocal legend Jimmy Scott. Blue worked with Jimmy for close to 10 years until his passing. They made several tours and recordings.
T.K. Blue is the arranger, conductor, and featured soloist for three significant projects concerning Dr. Randy Weston and his African Rhythms Orchestra:
1)—Ancient Future—presented initially for Jazz At Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall in 2003 which featured an array of artists including Regina Carter and Cecil Payne.
2)—Harlem Stride: A Tribute to James Reese Europe (initially performed at the Harlem Gate House, with other performances at Tribeca; Skirball, NYU; and several jazz festivals aboard.
3)—BBC Radio Big Band in London, England.
In addition Mr. Blue is the associate producer for Dr. Weston’s last group recording, which is a double CD project entitled The African Nubian Suite.
T.K. Blue released his 8th CD as a leader entitled “Follow the North Star” on JAJA Records 2007, which received rave reviews and critical acclaim. He received a commission from the NYSCA and Transart Inc. to compose a piece of music dedicated to the early African-American presence in the Hudson Valley area of upstate New York. T.K. chose to write a suite based on the life of Solomon Northup and his book Twelve Years a Slave.
“Mr. Blue takes us on a wordless but yet richly satisfying journey through Northup’s life, from his ancestry to his return to his family, making all of the painful, harrowing, and joyous stops in between….I found the music to be most compelling when listened to from beginning to end, like a symphonic movement…”–Curtis Davenport, Jazz Improv NYC July 2008.
T.K. is a musician of the highest caliber who is at the peak of his creative output. Mr. Blue’s artistry is found on over eighty-five recordings and he has performed with a long list of great international artists. Blue garnered tremendous experience in pedagogy teaching Pre-K thru 12 in the Roosevelt, Long Island school district. He also taught in the adjunct capacity for several years at Suffolk Community College and Montclair State University. T.K. was eventually hired as a fulltime professor by Long Island University as the Director Of Jazz Studies 2007 to 2014.
2010 was a stellar year for the career of Professor Blue. His C.W. Post Jazz Ensemble performed at the world-famous jazz venue in NYC called the Iridium. Then later on in the summer they performed four concerts in the south of France as part of the international jazz festival Juan les Pins-Antibe. T.K. also performed at Dizzy’s and the Iridium with his professional band and he recorded his 9th CD as a leader called Latin Bird, which was released on Motema Records in March 2011. T.K. Blue is featured in the new autobiography by Randy Weston called African Rhythms and he was an associate producer for Randy’s latest CD called The Storyteller, released in November 2010 on Motema Records. T.K. Blue took his group to Dakar, Senegal in December 2010 to perform as part of the 3rd International Black Arts Festival. While in Dakar, he also did a workshop on the History of Jazz: From Africa to America.
2011 was a great year and Latin Bird on Motema Music recieved rave reviews. The CD had been on the jazz charts for several weeks and eventually made it into the top 10. A short documentary video produced by Brian Grady on the making of Latin Bird was nominated for best jazz video by the jazz journalist association.
2011 closed with T.K. Blue performing on the soundtrack for a feature film entitled “Queen City” starring Vivica A. Fox. This soundtrack also features many internationally acclaimed artists.
In 2012, Professor Blue was engaged in several prolific performances and achievements, including a tour to Oman in the Middle East, where he performed in the Royal Opera House of Muscat. He also produced the first “Jazz Day” on the LIU-Post campus. This event featured 4 area high school jazz ensembles and 1 community college jazz ensemble. The master clinicians were Rufus Reid, Arturo O’Farrill, Earl Williams, and Steve Turre. The culmination of this event was an evening concert with Grammy award winner Herbie Hancock. Due to the over-whelming success of this event, T.K. went on to produce two additional jazz day events at LIU-Post.
T.K. Blue and his “Latin Bird” band was one of the headliners for a festival in dedication to the Harlem Jazz Shrines in NYC during May of 2012. He performed with his band this summer at the world-famous Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center and with NEA Jazz Master Pianist Randy Weston at the Clifford Brown Jazz Fest in Wilmington, Delaware. T.K. Blue also joined vocal legend and NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Scott at Harlem’s newest music venue The Red Rooster in June.
Professor T.K. Blue had a very successful 2nd annual “Jazz Day” at LIU-Post on Saturday April 13, 2013, which featured adjudicators: Velery Ponomarev, Clifton Anderson, and Charli Persip. Chris Botti was the featured evening artist. Over 100 high school students attended this event. The 3rd Annual “Jazz Day” was held on Saturday March 8, 2014 and featured an evening performance by the world famous Duke Ellington Orchestra and Patti Austin. The LIU-Post Jazz Combos and the Long Island Sound Vocal Jazz toured Costa Rica in May 2013. T.K. Blue had performances in Trinidad, Europe, New York, and Maryland during the summer of 2013.
During the month of May and June 2014, T.K. Blue toured in France and Holland, performing selections from “A Warm Embrace”, his 10th CD as a leader. Back in the USA he played at the world famous Birdland in NYC and Artscape in Baltimore. He also performed with Randy Weston at the Detroit Jazz Festival in August 2014.
In October 2014, Blue collaborated with Nicky Schrire, a South African vocalist. Their group was called The Kuumba Collective and they made their maiden performance at the world-famous Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in NYC at JALC. This performance was part of the Ubuntu Festival produced by Carnegie Hall. T.K. also performed with Dr. Randy Weston in a tribute to jazz master trombonist/arranger Melba Liston at the Manhattan School of Music.
Blue led his band in performances at the Riverview Jazz Festival; a live DVD recording for Jazz Encounters; adjudicator for a high school band competition in Princeton, N.J.; Bard College Fisher Center with Uhadi (a group from South Africa); concert with Senegalese vocalist Cheikh Lo at NYU; performance and symposium at the Schomburg Museum in Harlem on the opera Yardbird; lecture/demonstration about his suite Follow The North Star for Teaching The Hudson Valley; a concert at Medgar Evers College for the Jazzy Jazz Series dedication to Max Roach.
In 2017 T.K. released his 11th CD entitled Amour on Dot Time Records. This recording was awarded 4 Stars in Downbeat Magazine.
T.K. Blue joined Dr. Randy Weston with performances during 2016 in Paris, France; Montreux, Switzerland, Vienne, France; Charleston, N.C.; Essaouira, Morocco; The New School in NYC; The Brooklyn Public Library; Carnegie Hall; Wayne State University in Detroit; Panama Jazz Festival; French Guyana; and The Charlie Parker Festival in NYC.
T.K. Blue was in performance with Dr. Weston at Harvard University on Nov 9, 2016 to commemorate Harvard’s acquisition of Dr. Weston’s personal archives. They continued celebrating Dr. Weston’s 90th birthday year at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola Jazz at Lincoln Center Dec 2nd to the 4th. Additional concerts with Dr. Weston throughout 2017 were performed at the New Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and the Middelheim Jazz Festival in Belgium.
T.K. Blue continued to promote his band and music in 2018 with prestigious performances at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club and Harford Community College in Maryland. He also enjoyed esteemed concerts with Dr. Randy Weston at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
The month of July 2018 featured the last public performances Dr. Randy Weston and his African Rhythms Group: The Jamaica Performing Arts Center in Jamaica, NY July 7th; Casa Del Jazz Parco in Rome, Italy; and the Nice Jazz Festival on the Cote D’Azur France.
With deep sadness we lost a true giant of jazz and a cultural warrior on Sat Sept 1, 2018. T.K. Blue took part in many tributes to the musical legacy of Dr. Weston.
From September to December in 2018, T.K. Blue was a principal feature on alto saxophone for a N.Y. Lottery Television Commercial in heavy rotation throughout the tri-state area. The commercial was filmed at the Jazz Standard in NYC.
T.K.’s musical journey unfolds into 2019 with a new recording project dedicated to two legendary giants: Dr. Randy Weston and trombonist, composer, and arranger Melba Liston. T.K. recorded his 12th CD as a leader, which is a suite entitled The Rhythms Continue on JAJA Records. In addition Blue was honored to be on a panel for the Jazz Congress at Lincoln Center, which discussed the impact of Dr. Weston’s musical and cultural legacy.
T.K. performed and recorded in Paris, France during March and April. He wrote arrangements for vocalist Sarah Thorpe and he’s featured on her CD entitled Deep Blue Love on Dot Time Records.
In July and August 2019, T.K. presented a new project called The Motherland Connections for Jazzmobile’s Summer Concert Series. Blue spent the month of September in Senegal, West Africa and performed at the Jazz Club La Cave du Hotel Djoloff in Dakar. Blue showcased his new CD Oct 31st at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem with additional performances in Washington DC and Philadelphia.
A documentary film company called “While We Are Still Here” produced a short film entitled “In The Face Of What We Remember: Oral Histories of 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue” This film features original music by T.K. Blue.
As a result of the pandemic many concert performances were canceled here and abroad, yet Mr. Blue kept the flame and passion of music alive with several outdoor shows and online lecture/demonstrations for the Community/Cultural Awareness Series in Jersey City as well as Eleanor Roosevelt High School in NYC. Another highlight included a “Latin Bird” streamed performance with his sextet in dedication to the 100th Centennial of Charlie Parker’s birthday August 29, 2020. T.K. is featured in two recent book publications: Learning The Score, A Jazz Memoir by James Spaulding and Phree by Maaxerutep. Blue’s original composition and improvisation was also recently sampled for the award-winning recording by drummer Makaya McCraven entitled “Gil Scott-Heron, We’re New Again.”
There is a very well known jazz magazine in France entitled Jazz Hot, which published a very detailed and lengthy interview by Mathieu Perez on the career of T.K. Blue in their issue for March 2020. In addition T.K. is featured in a film documentary on NEA Jazz Master Dr. Randy Weston called “An African Born In America” premiered in Dakar, Senegal in November 2021.
T.K. Blue continues his monthly performance series in January 2022 at Brothers Smokehouse in Ramsey, N.J. for their Jazz Fridays concerts. A huge highlight for T.K. Blue was being hired by piano legend Monty Alexander in April for a performance at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, CT. In May T.K. recorded his 14th CD as a leader entitled “Planet Bluu” which features the younger generation of Jazz masters: Orion Turre, Davis Whitfield, Dishan Harper, Wallace Roney Jr. plus special guests Steve Turre and Dave Kikoski. T.K. will showcase music from this new project at Marcus Garvey Park in August for Jazzmobile’s summer concert series. Mr. Blue will team up with tenor sax titan Billy Harper for a program called “The Magic of Randy Weston and Melba Liston” to be performed in July at the world famous Keystone Korner in Baltimore, MD.
January 2023 T.K. Blue is a featured soloist on a new release by Panamanian bassist Santi Debriano entitled Arkestra Bembe “Ashanti” on JoJo Records.
Blue’s “Wise Eyes Of The Elders” on Arkadia Records is released on all digital platforms. This recording is comprised of alternate tracks from the original date “Eyes Of The Elders” 2000. T.K. Blue and drummer George Coleman Jr. team up to produce “Shades of Melba and Benny” in dedication to trombone masters and legends Melba Liston and Benny Powell, with performances at Smoke NYC, Clement’s Place Rutgers University Newark N.J., and the Jersey City Jazz Festival 2023.
N.Y. Times best selling author T.J. English organizes a band called Dangerous Rhythms to celebrate his new book release at Birdland Theater NYC featuring Grammy nominated drummer Bobby Sanabria and T.K. Blue.
Blue performed at the Saint Louis Jazz Festival in Senegal May 27th with his quartet and at the American Legation in Tangier Morocco for a Juneteenth (June 19th) celebration with Gnawa master musicians
April 2023 Arkadia Records releases T.K. Blue “The Tide Of Love” on all physical and digital outlets; a recording of beautiful ballads and songs of romance. In May T.K.Blue performed for the Saint Louis Jazz Festival in Senegal, West Africa. In June Blue opened the 2023 Jersey City Jazz Festival. Also on Juneteenth (June 19th) T.K. performed in collaboration with the traditional musicians of Morocco known as the Gnawa. They performed a concert at the American Legation in Tangier, Morocco, which is the oldest foreign American diplomatic post in the world and the only national monument outside the continental USA. In August Blue opened the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in NYC with his band “Latin Bird” In September T.K.Blue paid tribute to his mentor NEA Jazz Master Dr Randy Weston for three nights at Dizzy’s Club JALC. On one night the special guest was NEA Jazz Master Violinist Regina Carter. Blue closed out 2023 in performance with Billy Harper’s Quintet, Santi Debriano and Arkestra Bembe, and his own band of various configurations. T.K.Blue is extremely grateful to consistently be listed in the flute category for Downbeat Magazine’s Critics and Readers’ poll 2023. Be on the lookout in 2024 for a new recording entitled Planet Bluu!!!
So far 2024 has been an astounding year with a multitude of performances including the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts 2024 NEA Jazz Masters Ceremony for Dr Willard Jenkins induction; The New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburg; The International Jazz Day Concert with the Herbie Hancock Institute in Tangiers, Morocco; Concert tributes to NEA Jazz Master Dr Randy Weston in Pennsylvania, New York City, and Casablanca, Morocco; and the release of T.K.Blue’s 14th recording as a leader entitled Planet Bluu on JAJA Records with several engagements scheduled to celebrate in N.Y.C. Philadelphia, and Maryland. T.K.Blue will also join piano legend and master musician Monty Alexander for a retrospective concert of his career at the Rose Hall JALC January 24 and 25!