Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods, both directed by Spike Lee, a frequent collaborator.

In 2011, he was named artistic director of the Henry Mancini Institute at the University of Miami, and in 2015, he became a visiting scholar in jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music.

Abbey Lincoln, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Sonny Rollins are among the 173 fellows recognized by the NEA as great figures of jazz.

In 1986, Blanchard and Harrison left the Jazz Messengers to form their own quintet, featuring a rhythm section of young lions, Cyrus Chestnut, Rodney Whitaker, and drummer Carl Allen.

The band influenced a new generation of young jazz musicians like Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Geoff Keezer, and Roy Hargrove.

Since then, Blanchard has composed the original score for most of Spike Lee's films, including Malcolm X (1992), Clockers (1995), Summer of Sam (1999), 25th Hour (2002), Inside Man (2006), BlacKkKlansman (2018), and Da 5 Bloods (2020).

In addition to composing the score for Spike Lee's four-hour Hurricane Katrina documentary for HBO entitled, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006), Blanchard appeared onscreen with his mother to document their search for her destroyed home.

[5] Blanchard has also composed for other directors, including Gina Prince-Bythewood, Regina King, Taylor Hackford, Ron Shelton, and Kasi Lemmons.

Blanchard's next album entitled, Wandering Moon (2000), scored him another Grammy nomination and the prestigious honor of Downbeat Magazine's Artist of the Year.

It featured arrangements of classic songs written by Jimmy McHugh performed by his quintet with guest vocalists Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, Dianne Reeves, and Cassandra Wilson.

In between the two Blue Note recordings, Blanchard was featured on McCoy Tyner's Illuminations with Gary Bartz, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash.

[7] Fifteen years later, Blanchard was invited to produce music for the theme park attraction Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which is inspired by The Princess and the Frog.

"[12] The Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Band featuring Blanchard on trumpet made a 54-date, 10-week tour of the United States from January 8, 2008, to March 16, 2008.

Rounding out the band were saxophonist James Moody, pianist Benny Green, bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Kendrick Scott.

In December 2007, the Terence Blanchard Quintet performed the movie music of Spike Lee and Terence Blanchard with an orchestra and singers Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, and Raul Midón at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.[13] In November 2008, he was a guest on Private Passions, the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3.

[14] On February 10, 2008, Blanchard won his first Grammy Award as a bandleader for A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) in the category of Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

Blanchard composed original music for Stephen Adly Guirgis's Broadway play The Motherfucker With the Hat, which premiered at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on April 11, 2011.

Featuring Maroon 5's PJ Morton on three cuts, and JRei Oliver, Terence's son, on spoken word, the core band consists of Fabian Almazan on keyboards, Charles Altura on guitar, Donald Ramsey on bass, and Oscar Seaton on drums.

Cuepoint, on the web publishing site, Medium, published Blanchard's essay, "Using Music to Underscore Three Words: I Can't Breathe"[19] which details Blanchard's revulsion by the death of Eric Garner and how the subsequent "I Can't Breathe" campaign inspired the series of songs the E-Collective created for the album.

On November 9, 2019, Blanchard performed alongside Lady Gaga as a special guest during her Jazz and Piano show in Las Vegas, Nevada.