The year 2007 was an incredibly busy year for the seemingly always-busy New Orleans jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Along with earning two Grammy Awards (winning one) for leading his quintet and a 40-piece string orchestra through A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina), Blanchard also served as artist-in-residence for the Monterey Jazz Festival, which included performing with the MJF’s 50th Anniversary Band at the September festival (as well as a subsequent tour). Their MJF performance is captured here on this disc, and the result underscores how effortless Blanchard appears to be in the collaborative mode.

Part of that is because the overall combo is a celebration of generations, with legends and hot-shots working together: Blanchard, the former Jazz Messenger, on trumpet; James Moody on saxophone; Derrick Hodge on bass; Kendrick Scott on drums; and musical director Benny Green on piano, with Nnenna Freelon serving as the a featured vocalist.

I keep waiting for Blanchard to take his rich, round and warm tones to dominate in a combo setting, and he keeps me waiting. There are times when can be a showman, but this is where his discipline and experience (preference?) working with others continues to pay off. His solo on “Benny’s Tune,” from his 2005 album Flow perfectly complements Green’s piano work, his modal-style playing a study in the power of simplicity. The listener can hear the audience responding warmly to the most delicate of phrasings by every performer, catching and approving the subtleties with glee.

Blanchard also appears on saxophonist Tom Scott’s tribute to one of his influences, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, which is paved with a rich layer of respect, but otherwise doesn’t seem to reveal anything new or passionate. Backed by a sterling support cast that includes one-time Cannonball collaborators George Duke (on piano) and vocalist Nancy Wilson as well as Blanchard, Scott doesn’t appear to sure about where he wants to go with all of this.

There’s a certain irony in the song selection. Cannonball’s brother Nat composed the soulful and bouncy “Jive Samba” and “Work Song,” and while the former is a delightful way to kick off the proceedings, “Work Song” is tame almost to the point of tedium. Scott should remember that soulful can also mean exuberant. Even the tempo feels restrained, and Blanchard is left to play it safe along with Scott’s simple phrasings. (I’ve heard New Orleans vocalist Henri Smith and his backup band deliver a more spirited delivery of the song.) “Jive Samba” is at least a little more playful and spirited.

Given that these two re-recordings come 47 years after their debut, Nancy Wilson’s work on “Save Your Love for Me” and “The Masquerade Is Over” could be forgiven for not being more inspirational. Instead they serve as a pleasant reminder of Cannonball Adderley’s works; Scott’s album leaves a similar impression, if not much more.