Mo' Better Blues is a 1990
musical drama film starring
Denzel Washington,
Wesley Snipes, and
Spike Lee, who also directed. It follows a period in the life of fictional jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (played by Washington) as a series of bad decisions result in his jeopardizing both his relationships and his playing career. The film focuses on themes of friendship, loyalty, honesty, cause-and-effect, and ultimately salvation. It features the music of the
Branford Marsalis quartet and
Terence Blanchard on trumpet. The film was released five months after the death of
Robin Harris and is dedicated to his memory.