Jonathan Blanchard
Bass Vocalist

March 28, 2010
4:00 pm
Langston Hughes Theatre
812 E. Dunklin St.

Memphis, the undisputed home of Blues, Rock & Roll, and Gospel, has long helped the world move to different grooves.  It is also the city that helped nurture the imaginative soul of classically trained bass-vocalist, Jonathan Blanchard.  Born in November of 1976, Mr. Blanchard’s talent came to maturity while immersed in Memphis’s often raucous, inspirational, yet always divergent styles of music and art. Jonathan —in the spiritual tradition of an ancient African Griot—creates music that allows his deep, soulfully rich voice to blend naturally with his compelling dramatic instinct.  He movingly conveys the poignant words and melodies of the Negro Spiritual in a manner that defies easy pigeon-holding, and his unique style—“reminiscent of Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin, and Paul Robeson simultaneously”—offers great variety at any musical venue.   No one should miss him deftly rifting through jazz licks, while he masterfully imitates the sounds emanating from a jazz band’s instrumental section.  His modernized and approachable style of singing creates such an uplifting song that it holds the enthusiasts of popular, classical and religious song in sway.