By LARRY BLUMENFELD New Orleans Leading a sextet recently at the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro in his native New Orleans, trumpeter Terence Blanchard exuded confidence. At 51, with five Grammy awards to his credit, Mr. Blanchard makes music by now elemental to the contours of modern jazz. His new CD, "Magnetic" (Blue Note), affirms such standing even as it leans in bold new directions. In his living room two days later, Mr. Blanchard described feeling insecure when he sat down to compose "Champion," an opera based on the story of boxer Emile Griffith that will have its premiere Saturday at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. "What can you think, as a jazz musician, when somebody comes up and asks you to...
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