“This latest creative project is being released on the heels of him (Blue) performing with the Herbie Hancock Institute at the 2024 International Jazz Day Concert in Tangiers, Morocco. I also enjoyed The Bluu Seas Of Our Tomorrows. Great title and excellent composition where T.K.Blue soars and shines on his saxophone. He transports me back to the John Coltrane heyday with this wonderful arrangement.”
-Dee Dee McNeil – Making A Scene, September 19th, 2024
“I’m fortunate to have collaborators who search every corner to find rare gems, like this artist T.K. Blue, a multi-instrumentalist…These compositions will immediately make you feel at home, thanks to the extraordinary musicians – artists with a deep sense and respect for their craft, clearly in tune with the world, connected to a form of Africanness…Like many albums these days, it’s hard to detach from it. It’s a journey, an experience that pushes you, once the eleven tracks of the album reach their end, to start again, fearing you haven’t heard or grasped everything…It’s only natural to send this album where it belongs, specifically to our “Essentials” pile. “
-Thierry De Clemensat PARIS-MOVE, September 19th, 2024
“Blessed with a supple and at times searing tone on alto and flute, T.K.’s sound is is an Afro-diasporic eclipse of jazz, West Indian and Latin rhythms, and Gnawa music from Morocco. What Blue learned from Weston is how to make these far-flung Pan African sound-forms swing with a blues intonation that reunites those far-flung musical genres under one nation of groove.”
-Eugene Holley Jr. Hot House Jazz Guide April 2024
” He (Blue) is accompanied by several superb musicians including Grammy-nominated Stefon Harris on vibes…The group recorded an album of creativity, originality, and emotional impact in this eleven track outing….Blue’s tone has a beauty all its own…On Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar through overdubbing Blue is heard on both alto sax and flute to provide an empathetic interplay with Ron Jackson on acoustic guitar….In this rendition of So Many Stars Blue confirms his ability to navigate and blend this genre to provide an expressive and sentimental side of jazz. The album shows T.K.Blue’s skill, passion, and commitment to musical diversity”
– Pierre Giroux,All About Jazz, Dec 15, 2023
“Versatile multi-instrumentalist T.K.Blue appeared at The Django NYC and delivered a set that reflected his versatility and years of experience working with NEA Jazz Masters Randy Weston, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Jimmy Scott”
– Russ Musto, The NYC Jazz Record, July 2023
“The Rhythms Continue will undoubtedly remain as the most moving tribute to the great Randy Weston who passed on September 1, 2018. All the musicians are in tune, sincere, and committed to making this record a tribute in the spirit (“Hi Fly”). “
– Yves Sportis, Jazz Hot Magazine Paris, France, December 2019
“A real ceremony in memory mixing the most essential jazz: an inventive rereading of even the most distant heritage using jazz codes (blues, swing, hot-expression) with the colors, the inspirations that Randy Weston magnified in his music, from the American continent but the great African spaces dreamed and interpreted by his imagination and his humanism.”
– Yves Sportis, Jazz Hot Magazine Paris, France, December 2019
“…before Blue joins on flute to the accompaniment of Radway’s piano and Fen’s pipa. It’s simply mesmerizing and a fitting way to end this heartfelt tribute.”
– Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine, December 2020
“Kasbah” is my kind of jazz, straight-ahead and unapologetic! It’s the first of nineteen tracks on this CD of abundant and excellent music.
– Dee Dee McNeil , musicalmemoirs.wordpress.com, October 2019
With its 19 tracks and suite-like structure, the album weaves a tapestry displaying Weston’s enduring essence and influence.
– Jazziz Winter Edition, 2019-20
“This splendid album showcases the ability of T.K. Blue to give shape to a musical project with a strong character. It shows that leadership is a combination of musical vision, composing skills, and instrumental personality.”
– Jean Szlamowicz, Spirit Of Jazz, December 2019
“T.K. Blue’s latest release is The Rhythms Continue, an equal parts lovely and vibrant remembrance honoring Randy Weston’s powerful impact on his and so many other of our lives.”
– Willard Jenkins, Open – Sky Jazz, November 2019
Two distinctive tunes represent Melba Liston. The catchy “Insomnia” and the deeply lyrical “Just Waiting: A Sister’s Lament” are both done as duets of T.K.’s alto sax and the rhapsodic piano of Kelly Green.
– George Kanzler, Hot House, October 2019
T.K. Blue is a man of many talents, a saxophonist, flutist, composer, bandleader, and educator. The Rhythms Continue is his 12th CD as a leader and possibly his most heartfelt, a dedication to his longtime employer and mentor Randy Weston.
– Anna Steegmann, The New York City Jazz Record October 2019 (page 32)
In memory of his mentor and long-time bandleader Blue’s The Rhythms Continue (JAJA Records) was released on Nov 1st which is a memorable suite of 19 enthralling compositions by Weston, Melba Liston, and Blue. Blue’s “The Rhythms Continue” is a great tribute to Randy Weston that continues the tradition of his great mentor whose African roots grow in our hearts as the ancestors speak of a great music and culture that will never die.
– Ron Scott, The Amsterdam News, November 2019
Heartfelt and sprawling, The Rhythms Continue does an excellent job of invoking the vast musical vistas Weston transversed.
– Excerpt from J.D. Considine’s review for Jazz Times, December 2019
The Rhythms Continue (JAJA) is as warmhearted and spirited as the musician it honors; This album boasts an impressive roster of players. Some were former collaborators of Weston’s like African Rhythms members Alex Blake and Neil Clarke plus Billy Harper, and Chinese pipa player Min Xioa Fen.
– Robert Ham, Downbeat, January 2020
On Randy’s “Kucheza Blues”, tenor saxophonist Billy Harper joins the basic ensemble, adding a solo that inspires T.K.’s following one as a CD highlight.
– Winning Spins by George Kanzler for Hot House Oct 2019
Blue brings a smooth foot tapping beat to Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes” leading the charge on soprano saxophone as drummer Eric Kennedy lends a persuasive undercurrent. “Amour” boasts 11 tracks riding on Blue’s wave of creativity that brings his unforgettable journey to life.
– Jazz Notes by Ron Scott, New York Amsterdam News, May 2017
T.K. Blue exudes armloads of dexterity and guileless charm on his latest album, AMOUR. Its 11 tracks, a nice balance of originals and covers, overflow with evidence of a craftsman so in love with his work that it doesn’t even feel like work.
– 4 Star Review by: Brian Zimmerman, Downbeat, September 2017
His latest CD, Amour, is his heart-felt tribute to France and its capital, where he moved two years after receiving a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Columbia University……The leader’s soulful and sinewy alto and soprano sax lines sing and swing on the recording’s straight-ahead, ballad, bossa nova, Latin and African moods and grooves.
– Eugene Holley Jr., Hot House, May 2017
“Banlieue Blue” is a bouncy straight-ahead tune that swings at every turn.
– Jazz Notes by Ron Scott, New York Amsterdam News, May 2017
T.K. Blue, globally recognized saxophonist, flutist, composer and arranger, plays with fire and imagination on his full arsenal of instruments.
– Green County Council on the Arts, Germantown, NY – May 2017
T.K.Blue whose tones mesh exquisitely on the song. Suso sounds like an orchestra onto himself, as he masterfully finger-picks his instrument. He’s soon joined by Blue’s lovely, birdsong flute, repeating the lyrical rhythmic motif but embroidering it as well.
– Jazziz, Spring 2017 Review of Randy Weston’s The African Nubian Suite. Blue is a co-producer for this recording
This leisurely simmering but dramatically crafted saga unfolds as a series of crisp cameos in probing duets with rock-solid piano… T.K.Blue and Billy Harper’s jousting saxophones.
– Fred Bouchard, The New York City Jazz Record, April 2017. Blue is a co-producer for this recording
Weston’s exultant history lesson has accomplished its goal of vivifying accomplishments galore.
– Jim Macnie, Downbeat February 2017. Blue is a co-producer for this recording
Yet he (Dr. Randy Weston) was continually in the moment, particularly when dialoguing with or comping for Blue, whose kinetic improvisations evoked a refracted blend of Bird, Cannonball, Benny Carter and Jackie McLean.
– Ted Panken, Downbeat, November 2016
If you’re saxophonist T.K. Blue, you turn to the soft(er) and the subtle, delivering an album that’s texturally rich yet wholly transparent. Blue’s brand of music is honest, sincere, graceful and direct; that same adjective set, not surprisingly, also applies to the man himself. Blue isn’t about posturing or pushing the envelope to earn a progressive tag. He’s about the music and the feeling it creates, both in the artist and the listener. Blue’s skills as an arranger, perhaps more than anything else, are responsible for the success of this project, as he’s able to create beauty from simplicity at times. A Warm Embrace is simply a beautiful work of art; it’s exactly what it claims to be and need not be anything more.
– Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
T.K. Blue is a musician of the highest caliber who is at the peak of his creative output. He continues to mentor budding musicians at every level from pre-K to graduate.
– Program for Carnegie Hall Saturday March 19, 2016
“Talib Kibwe…..I didn’t know his work until this album, and his instrumental voice is so personal, clear, and incisive that I kept playing back his solos for the sheer pleasure of such fresh sounds of surprise. If I were still producing jazz records, I would call Kibwe as soon as I got his number.”
– from Nat Hentoff’s liner notes for Benny Powell’s “Why Don’t You Say Yes, Sometimes” recording.
All of the musicians were splendid, but I have to salute T.K. Blue and the bassist extraordinaire Alex Blake. These guys are more than good at what they do on their instrument.
– By Hakim Abdul-Ali, Charleston Chronicle, for a Spoleto Festival concert review. June 11, 2016
In this song and others, T.K. Blue plays a mean flute—strong and masculine in a way I never heard one played before.
– By Celeste McMaster, Charleston City Paper, for a Spoleto Festival concert review. June 4, 2016
“The core group expertly supports guest vocalist Alana Adderley during the bossa-to-swing-to-bossa “When Sunny Gets Blue,” provides some pep on “Tides Of Romance,” and comes off clean-and-polished on the title track.”
–Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
“Blue’s voice on alto is highly distinctive. Whether on his main horn, soprano, or flute, he inflects everything he plays with ebullience”
– James Hale, Downbeat
“..a Caribbean spirit can be detected in the choice of instruments….in the lilting dance rhythms and in the joyful shouts of Blue’s themes and solos…”
– Geoffrey Himes, The Washington Post
“Blue Bird” on the new album sounds as if it was recorded by the seashore at sunset, shifting effortlessly from undulations buoyed by bass and lovely percussion colorations, to darting fragments that echo Parker’s original solo, to deep bluesy swing. There is a strong center of clam; though the arrangements here are innovative, there’s no sense of showing off.
– Michael Jackson, Downbeat June 2011
“What’s refreshing about Latin Bird, however, is that the tunes stand by themselves; Blue brings something new to old music and is not simply a Bird clone. These are Parker melodies, but Blue has deconstructed the tunes and pasted them back together in a format all his own.”
– Jon Ross, Downbeat, May 2011… 3 and ½ stars
“Latin Bird has a lot going for it. The musicians are great; the choice of material is first-rate; and the arranging adds enough originality to the mix to keep it all very interesting.”
– Gregg Simmons, All About Jazz, April 2011
“Here’s a Latin jazz record with an abundance of sizzle and invention”
– Nick Bewsey, Icon…4 stars
“Latin Bird is one of the best kind of “tributes”-inspired and doesn’t smother its subject with pious “veneration”. Blue and company actually something constructive, passionate, and fun with their inspiration and influences.”
– Mark Keresman, Jazz Inside, April 2011
“As in his work with Weston, Blue’s music here has a strong sense of spirituality and respect for the musical forefathers. But nothing in this energetic tribute to Charlie Parker sounds hackneyed or dated, proving yet again that Bird and his music remains a bottomless resource and inspiration for all jazz descendants”
– Joel Roberts,The New York City Jazz Record, April 2011
“Alto saxophonist T.K. Blue puts out one sweet bebop CD…and is definitely a guy you want on the bandstand”
– Karl Stark, the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 2011
“Blue’s an engaging saxophonist, who’s at his best spinning melodic ruminations…”
– Curtis Kirk Silsbee, Downbeat Magazine, December 2008
“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…”
“T.K.Blue took me to school twice today: The first was a musical ‘schooling’ which was not unexpected. Mr Blue (aka Talib Kibwe) is another of the legion of outstanding jazz players working today that remain unfamiliar to the general populace…I enjoyed his cool, reedy tone and the creativity of his solos.”
– Curtis Davenport, Jazz Improv Magazine NYC
“Tribute To The Masters gets off to a bright start with Charlie Parker’s ‘Yardbird Suite’. T.K.Blue sparkles in his rendering of the melody for the first chorus…T.K.Blue steps to the plate with another impressive solo.”
– Clive Griffin, Jazz Improv Magazine NYC
“Much like David Murray’s magnificent 2007 release Sacred Ground, Follow The North Star takes a very dark chapter in American history and recounts it with astounding beauty and grace…There are hints of both Pharoah Sanders and Yusef Lateef in Blue’s saxophone, flute, and kalimba work, and as always his deep-rooted love of African jazz shines through.”
– Jessica Sendra, Jazz Times Magazine
“T.K.Blue, a Trinidadian native, has played saxophone with two of the best Afrocentric jazz musicians: the South African-born Abdullah Ibrahim and the Brooklyn-born former Moroccan resident Randy Weston. Blue( aka Talib Kibwe) applies those experiences to his new album, ‘Follow The North Star’, one of this decade’s best African-leaning jazz projects….Blue doesn’t employ any text in this all-instrumental suite, but his alto and soprano saxophones become Northup’s eloquent voice.”
– Geoffrey Himes, The Washington Post
Eyes of The Elders by saxophonist T.K. Blue is an accessible and charming album made all the more inviting by Blue’s instrumental prowess. His saxophone talks in warm tones that speak of an intense love of the art of improvisation, not forcing listeners to pay attention but rather beckoning them with subtle tenderness.
– Steve Graybow, Billboard
Playing soprano sax early on, T.K. Blue avoided the strident tones associated with the instrument and improvised fluidly over Robinson’s rumbling syncopation. His tone grew warmer and more soulful….”
– Mike Joyce, Washington Post
Saxophone virtuoso Talib Kibwe, celebrating his album release Another Blue delivered a joyous set at Blues Alley that demonstrated not only his proficiency on various woodwinds, but also his stylistic versatility.
– John Murph, The Washington Post
Having been influenced both personally and historically by jazz’s elders, saxophonist Talib Kibwe shows a good deal of sagacity himself in bringing fresh perspectives to music steeped in tradition.
– Steve Jones, USA Today
A grand tradition exemplified by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine comes to mind when hearing the highly recommendable Eyes Of The Elders by Talib Kibwe.
– Yoshi Kato, Schwann Inside
Review of a new CD by Kevin Cook:
“He has surrounded himself with a solid group of sidemen..Talib Kibwe, who under his own name and the moniker TK Blue has carved out a name for himself on his solo projects, as well as those with Randy Weston and Abdullah Ibrahim….Kibwe is the true star of this disc. His work on alto and especially flute, is never less than interesting and at times, it is absolutely captivating, in the most subtle way imaginable. Kibwe is not going to knock you over with the force of his lines, but you will stop, as I did, somewhere in the middle of one of his solos and say, “You know something, this cat is really good!”
– Jazz Improv Vol 2 number 7 Spring 2007