Written and performed by the Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard, the soundtrack to this self-conscious homage to jazz musicians was directed by the highly lauded Spike Lee. The film tells the story of a driven trumpeter named Bleek Gilliam, played with his usual flair by the great Denzel Washington doing an admirable job of rapping and seeming to actually play the trumpet. Lee cast himself as the annoying manager of Gilliam's jazz ensemble, and you really have to concentrate on the music to sit through their tedious arguments, not to mention scenes from Gilliam's neurotic love life. The movie was hailed by many critics as a penetrating look at the life of a jazz musician, but it is more important for its music than for its insight.
Review of Mo' Better Blues
