[comp] PETE ROCK - "This is the NEW Shit"

Since I first heard ".T.R.O.Y.", "Shut 'Em Down", Pete's take on "Jump Around", "Nighttrain" and so many more, I've heald Pete as one of the holy trinity of Hip-Hop production. There's of course plenty of great rducers out there, but Pete reallt walked the extra mile putting together and layering something rottally original. This was the early '90s and songs like "T.R.OY", "The Basement" and basically the whole LP, there never was a qiuestion Pete Rock still got it. Simple as that. His sound might have changed quite a bit since the classic SP1200 days with CL Smooth and "Letterman" but though the man is still cranking out bangers on a semi-regular basis, he sure as hess stillgot,. In the last couple of years he served Hip Hop heads with serious dopeness on his full-length collaboration with Smif-N-Wessun ("Monumental"), brought out the ill instrumental grooves on "Petestrumentals II" and released two free digital mixtapes with Camp Lo that featured enough hot exclusives to make up a nice little album. One of the joys of being a dedicated Pete Rock fan, however, is not only checking for his LP releases and special projects but of course to keep eyes and ears open for whatever singles he's invited to produce or remix. While his work in the 2010s might not be as consistantly mindblowing as his early '90s years there's been plenty of Pete Rock heatrocks released on various albums over the last three years or so. Ron Carter was a bassic that Miles wanTed in his badn fot quote time -and thereS unodubtedly weak homes. "There Will Be Blood" is undoubtddly one of the best children's 

Last week I saw a GREAT concert performance by Pete Rock and CL Smooth in Copenhagen which really got me in a Soul Brother listening mode. Hence I dug up this compilation I made a while back for personal listening, but why not share the goods, right? This comp is basically an overlook of Stank for other artists between 2012 and 2016. I've tried to find all joints in the best possible quality as far as Mp3 goes (320 kbps) but a few of the songs is in lower bitrate as that was how they hit the internet in the case of some of these digital loosies. Either way it's a pretty cool front-to-back listen for anyone who still considers himself a Pete Rock fan... Check it out!

01. Torae - "Get Down"

02. Edo G - "Let Da Horns Blow"

03. Ill Bill - "Truth"

04. .38 Spesh - "Gone" (Ft. Sean Hayes)

05. Mack Wilds - "Duck Sauce"

06. Mac Miller - "Melt" (Ft. Schoolboy Q)
07. Robert Glasper Experiment - "Black Radio" RMX (Ft. Yasiin Bey)

08. Panda Bear - "Crosswords" RMX

09. NORE - "Vitamins" (Ft. Pete Rock)

10. Styles P - "Children" (Ft. Pharoahe Monch)

11. .38 Spesh - "Support" (Ft. Styles P)

12. Blu - "The Clean Hand"
13. Edo G - "2 Turntables & A Mic"
14. Ill Bill - "When I Die" RMX
15. Mack Wilds - "The Art Of Falling"
16. Smoke DZA - "Achieve"

 PETE ROCK - "THIS IS THE NEW SHIT"

[Reviews] "Miles Ahead" (O.S.T.) / ROBERT GLASPER - "Everything's Beautiful"

Part 1: Miles Ahead (Original Soundtrack)
 

A couple years back Don Cheadle finally got the go-ahead to produce, star and direct in his long-time dream project, a surrealistic biopic on the lives of Miles Davis, more fiction than fact and titled "Miles Ahead" after his famous 1957 collaboration with composer extraordinaire Gil Evans. With full cooperation from the Davis estate he was free to use the original music of the portrayed star (something that has hampered biopics badly from the Andre 3000 version of Jimi Hendrix story to the more recent Chet Baker flick, "Born to be Blue", which incidentally includes two key scenes with M.D.). Not only had Cheadle permission to use the music as he saw fit, he was also able to excerpt it and cut it up to better flow with the movie - and let's face it, if he was to include all those amazing 20 minutes tracks in full there wouldn't be much of a soundtrack to talk about. The majority of the released film music is made up of such timeless excerpts from our heroes vast catalouge, including brilliantl, and tastefully shortened, classics like "Sivad", "Nefertiti", "Agharta Prelude", "Go Ahead John", "Black Satin" and "Solea". While the movie avoids following a linear narrative the soundtrack starts with the earliest song included, the title track, and then the music is placed in chronological order with most of the musical action taking place during Miles' fusion years (1968-1975) as that's around the time most of the movies action take place. However if you, like me, already own just about everything Columbia ever released of the man, including bits and pieces, somewhat dodgy live recordings and what not, you might not be too excited. But it has a nice flow to it, is interspersed with appropriate vocal clips from the flick, and as it is placed in chronological order it gives a nice overview of Miles, the ever-changing, daring artist going from place A to place B to place C to Musical Dark Nivana before his total breakdown in 1975. If you're new to Miles and maybe jazz in general I would say that this collection is a better place to start than most other similiar one disc selections. For one it's put together by a true fan of the music rather than some exec trying to pump out some more money by yet antother greatest hits collection, as mentioned above it gives you the chronological oversight which allows you to hear multiple styles (with Miles it's never a given that you're not gonna hate point B even if you love point D - at least not at first), and last but not least it features key cuts from what many would consider to be the epitome of this artists genius years.

The actual score for the film was however provided by Robert Glasper - a brilliant pianist, producer and jazz artist in his own right, and one of the few who keeps the artform alive and exciting by allowing it to change and take risk (unlike someone like Wynton Marsalis, no matter how talented). For this soundtrack Glasper had the right understanding of what was needed and through proper respect for Miles and the filmmakers he was able to channel the spirit of him while gathering up talents as diverse as they are from different generations. Included on the four tracks that are also included on the soundtrack are the young bass wonder Esperanza Spalding, Pharoahe Monch, Herbie Hancock, E.J. Strickland and Wayne Shorter. With one exception the modern Glasper cuts are placed at the end of the album and as ahead Miles was back in the days, you won't even notice a very modern/old transition thing going. The soundtrack come highly recommended both for established fans of the trumpeter, but even more so for those more unfamiliar and curious as well as Glasper's loyal fanbase. Shit either camp need to hear this for the beautiful album closer "Gone 2015" where Robert Glasper's soulful production and keyboard grooves creates a sharp feeling of triumph, strongly underlined by young trumpeter Keyon Harold's channeling of Miles' sound and the excellent verses by Pharoahe Monch. You can buy the album at iTunes or Amazon here.

Part 2: Robert Glasper - "Everything's Beautiful"

 
Robert Glasper's experience with Cheadle in "Miles Ahead" and especially the estate had a huge impact on him as a life long fan of Miles Davis. Like Madlib when he produced his classic Blue Note remix album "Shades Of Blue" the producer/pianist got full access to the Columbia vaults for whom Miles recorded under exclusive contract bween 1956 and 1986. Although most of those tracks that were once rare have since seen official releases on expensive box sets, it sets the album apart from your average remix scavenger assemly as Glasper could manipulate the actual channels and so forth. An interesting point is that he uses a lot of Miles' voice, that famous raspy whisper, taken from various studio sessions and in-studio jams - allowing fans the relatively quiet musician to hear more of his voice than on any other previous M.D. project. But perhaps the most important aspect to know about "Everything is Beautiful" is that this is a Robert Glasper album in all but name, despite Miles' top billing. The LP's theme is of course Glasper's theme of the music and spirit of Miles, something that I think he sometimes manages to capture and sometimes not, as it's built around samples of the man and his music. But that does not mean that you will hear Miles' beautiful trumpet sound on every song, in fact it's really only on "So Long (Maiysha)" and ONE MORE that we get that and though it's unique it kind of feels like being shortshifted. But it's not only Miles and the trumpet that takes a back seat, Glasper's role as a firs rate jazz pianist is minimized as well as he really only gets to stretch out on a couple of pieces. Instead he is fully attacking this project as a producer, picking the samples, making sure the guests does what they are supposed to do and gets the right track to work on, makin sure the vibe of Miles Davis is to be found all throughout the LP's 50 minutes, and so on.

For me Glasper is a unique artist that is hugely talented but we doesn't always see eye to eye on what a dope album from start to finish is. I liked "Black Radio" and "Black Radio II" quite a lot, but there were definitely tracks that I felt brought down the intensity of the overall product. The best thing in the "Black Radio" series for me is without a doubt the six song EP "Black Radio Remixed" which is just pure excellence from start to finish. And I kind of feel that the same thing is happening with "Everything is Beautiful" - some tracks really gets the jonez in my bones; the wonderful light bossa nova Miles on wah wah / Erykah Badu duet that is "So Long" (a new rendition of 1975's "Maiysha"), the gorgeous Phonte collaboration and first single "Violets" where Glasper makes a beautiful hip-hop vibe soul joint based around Bill Evan's timeless chords from "Blue in Green" that works as a tremendous musical canvas for the ever innovating Phonte. The opener "Talking Shit" is beautiful because it is three minutes of studio outtakes from false starts that features Miles getting on drummer Joe Chambers' case about coming up with a beat more aking to what we today know as Hip Hop. It's definitely fascinating, and naturally leads into Glasper's hip-hop tinged version of that track Chambers and Davis was working on in '69 - "The Ghetto Walk" (originally titled "Ghetto Walkin'") and with the smooth vocals of Bilal riding on top of the fat groove I feel that Miles would be proud. of what the producer has come up with here.

However as a tribute to Miles Davis I think aside from the songs mentioned above it generally fall shorts. Oh wait, there's one mighty groove featuring Miles' spitting adlibs under singer Ledisi's hook ("wait a minute, wait a minute") while a pulsating funk headnodder is highlighted by the excellent electric guitar work of former Miles' sideman John Scofield who does his best to bring back the mid-'80s period where he worked with the man on stages and studios around the world. And this to my mind is where the project goes somewhat misguided. Miles' sideman, which features the absolute elite in jazz, pretty much all had the highest respect for their former boss and bandleader and while Glasper's songs on the "Miles Ahead" soundtrack featured Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, Scofield is the lone sideman featured here. Hence using artists like Laura Mvula, Hiatus Kaiyote, KiNG and Georgia Anne Muldrow (who's rendition of "Milestones" is decent) instead of fusing the old with the new by inviting Dave Liebman, Sonny Fortune, Jimmy Cobb, Chick Corea, Wallace Rooney, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, Lonnie Liston Smith, and so on, really feels like a missed opportunity. It's not a bad record per se, but it's not a great one either - though it has it's share of great moments. I won't be purchasing it, but give it a listen it might be more up your alley as many critics seems to love it at the moment. "Everything's Beautiful" is available on vinyl, CD and in digital formats via Amazon among other sites.

ROBERT GLASPER Ft. E. BADU & MILES - "So Long (Maiysha)"

As you should know by now I'm a huge fan of the real jazz music which takes so many forms, and with artists like Kendirck Lamar, Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Roland Bruner Jr., Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Ravi Coltrane, to name a few to my ears jazz is in a better, more comfortable, forward thinking position than it has been in years. Miles Davis is one of my top 1-3 top artists all categories, he was just beyond the category of musical genius and at this time I have a collection of about 60 CD:s and albums (counting my many boxsets as one album despite them having between 20 and 4 CD:s each) and though we will never get to hear brand new Miles music, there's still ocassional remix type projects being sanctioned by the estate, giving them a seal of approval. Some of them are strictly wack and should be avoided at any costs but some like Bill Laswell's "Panthalassa" and now Robert Glasper's "Everything is Beautiful" are both things of beatuies (hence the latters name).

Robert Glasper worked with Miles newphew Vince Wilburn Jr, the estate and Columbia Legacy and was given complete acess to original mastertapes that had been collecting dust for years. Glasper, being the experimental artist that he is, took a very different approach in remixing and updating these old original reels than say Madlib did for his (excellent) "Shades Of Blue"). As he has explained in interviews he wasn't interested in producing a regualr Miles remix albums, with Miles trumpet flowing over his production and piano workouts. Instead he dug out samples of Miles' voice, some trumpet playing, some keyboard playing, reworked famous riffs from classics like "Milestones" and made a very succesfull album if you ask me. Just yesterday, the first official video from the project was released (although the excellent Phonté assisted "Violets are Blue" were released as an audio single only; same goes for the John Scofield assisted "I'm Leaving You"). The music clip in question is a funny as hell take on the Erykah Badu assisted "Maiysha (So Long)" which is one of the few, if not only song on the LP, where Badu excusitely solos with the long decased artists. Mies is smiling down on this hilarious video which also shows Eyrkah's acting chops a bit... Enjoy haha. And don't forget to support Robert Glasper and the Miles Davis foundation by buying the album @ iTunes, Amazon or any store of your choice.

[Review] ROBERT GLASPER / MILES DAVIS - "Everything''s Beautiful"

I've been a huge fan of Miles Davis for about 10 years now but for the last year or so I've been on a trip like crazy; almost exclusivey listenig to him (or at least jazz, but more Miles than any other jazz artist), which is why The Lost Tapes has been sort of lacking lately. I've been buying rare box sets, buying his regular albums and pretty much listening to everything he recorded between 1945 and 1991 until my collection now contains about 120 CD:s. Without a doubt Miles was the king of Jazz, but that word was also something he absoutely despised meaning that it was a white-man's word trying to box in black people and their music into. Sure at one time he played BeBop with Charlie Parker, Hardbop with Coltrane and his first great quintet before basically throwing out the rule book and abandoning chord changes in favor of modal transitions with his so called second great quintet (with Hancock, Tony Williams, Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter). But it was from 1968 to 1975 that he discouraged his old school fans by leaving what people had come to expect from jazz artist when he started incorporating electronic instruments, playing top-notch jazz solos over heavy bass vamp more influencced by Sly Stone, George Clinton and Hendrix than by Dexter Gordon. The music from this period STILL sounds ahead of his time. Don't believe me? Pop in "Agharta" or "Pangaea" in your disc player, or "On the Corner" and "Get Up With It" and marvel how ahead of time this cat was already back then. This period (1968-1975) is mostly the era that Glasper has focused his sampling techniques on in building a new album from so it doesn't hurt to be aware of the original LP:s, although it does stand on its own legs as a legit album as well.

But first a word on jazz in the 2000s - is it dead, or does it just smell funny to quote Frank Zappa? As a hardcore jazz fanatic, Robert Glasper is one of the few artists I feel actually has something new to conribute to the genre and keeps it alive. From his accoustic trio piano recordngs on Blue Note to his fusion records with his Experiment band there has always been powerful and original music there (can't forget his excellent contributions to records by Q-Tip and Yasiin Bey amongst others either). There's a few others as well; I was extremely fond and proud of Kamasi Washington's "The Epic", an ablum that I feel can match the great explorative classics of the late '60s and early '70s. Of course both Glasper, Kamasi Washington, as well as bassist Thundercat, alternative producer Flying Lotus, saxophonist Terrence Martin, trumpet player Josef Leimberg,  played a large part in the creation of 2015's best album, Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp A Butterfly". And also read this great article about the album and it's heavy jazz and hip-hop fusion and why it works so well. Again, huge props to Kendrick for daring to make a modern jazz/funk album in 2015.

So not with that out of the way, let's get back to "Everything's Beautiful", a phrase spoken by Miles during a previously unhead session chatter. Glasper was given access to Columbia's original unedited tapes from Miles' 50's, '60's and '70's session, but unlike the similiar deal Madlib received from Blue Note for his brilliant LP "Shades Of Blue" this is not a remix album per se at all. Instead Glasper has created an original album heavily built around Miles samples that might work best as an homage to one of his musical heroes. And as such it mostly does it's job really well. To be honest, I was slightly intimitated to listen to this project at firstconsidrering my enormous respect for Miles and his legacy, and though I'm a big fan of Glasper I must admit I was a bit worried how it all was going to work out. After all there's been a few shitty Davis remix EP:s over the years (and I'm not talking about Bill Laswell's joint). Luckily, I needed not to worry at all - for the most part this is an excellent homage that I think Miles, who was always with the new black/"hip" involvements in music, would truly like. 

The project came to fruition as director/producer of the "Miles Ahead" movie, Don Cheadle, asked for Glasper's services in laying down the score for the film which was soon to be released. The jazz pianist and producer, being a fan of the man for years, didn't hesitate but once the score was finished he felt unfulfilled - hence the concept for "Everything's Beautiful" was born. It's billed as a collaboration between Glasper and Miles, which is certainly is not. As I said before it's more of an homage; in an interview Glasper talked about his vision for the proejct was to sample various parts of Miles and build tracks around that - and we're not talking about his unmistakable trumpet sound, in fact there's only one or two songs that actually make use of that beautiful trumpet sound. Many tracks are simply jazzy hip-hop that might sample Miles voice from unreleased studio rehearsals, others might be built around a sample from one of his sidemen's performance on a classic Miles record as is the case of the beautiful "Violets" (featuring an amazing performance by Phonte) who makes use of a Bill Evan's piano sample from "Blue in Green" (1958). Still this is not a put down, because the album is actually very good although with it's multiple guest and little Miles it feels more like another "Black Radio" LP, which is not a bad thing as it's just as good as it's two predecessors. If not even slightly better - the spirit of Miles has that power. 

To me, this is an album that you can play from front to back but my favorite joints is the introduction "Talking Shit" which goes into "Ghetto Walking". They are connected as the intro features the Miles part of the rehearsal of the excellent "Ghetto Walking" (recorded for "In A Silent Way"; considered for "On The Corner"; but ultimately not released until 2001 on "The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions"). One of the most revealing lines here is how Miles tell his drummer (Joe Chambers) to play “some kind of pulse that goes on all the time, that doesn’t sound like ‘ting-ta-ting’” — a disparaging nod to a swinging ride cymbal pattern — in favor of a loop that “doesn’t break, and it doesn’t sound corny.” Already back then he was looking for a hip-hop type of beat, something he woul continue exploring on "On The Coner" (1972) and to full effect on "Doo Bop" with Easy Mo Bee right before his death. Therefore it sounds great when Glasper, who's acting much more like a producer than as a pianist on this LP, adds a banging hip-hop drum pattern to the original "Ghetto Walkin'" music and it sounds blazing hot - especially with an excellent performance by Bilal over the music. Speaking of singers, Miles always made instrumental music for 99% of his career but "Everything's Beautiful" features a wide array of singers and rappers like Illa J, Erykah Badu, Phonte (who I once again must give props for his amazing performance here), Georgia Anne Muldrow and even Stevie Wonder turns up to give his respect on the beautiful album closer "Right On Brotha". The only one who actually played in one of Miles' bands on both stage and is guitarist John Scofield thouh he is left with one of the weaker tracks which feels like a missed opportunity.

Without a doubt the best song on the album is "Mayisha", one of Miles' last songs before his semi-retirement in 1975. Glasper's production and sample library of the original master tapes captures the essence of the track without making a carbon-copy of the track in question. Add to that the beautiful vocals of Erykah Badu and most importantly she actually gets a chance to duet with Miles wah-wah infused trumpet, and it sounds like they were in the studio together laying it down together. I'm sure Miles would've loved Erykah and would be proud of this joint. Even Glasper comes out from his proudcer chair to lay down a little solo. This is terrific music and would work as a great introduction to any of the three artists for the uninitated. The Georgia Anne Muldrow / Glasper rendition of "Milestones" is pretty damn fly too to say the least.

It's not a perfect album by any means, but when you got the name Miles Davis in the title and marketing promotion you have uneccessary pressure on you. I might have loved it had been released a simply a Robert Glasper album because I have really liked his output so far and this is no exception. So buy it, but don't expect a Miles Davis album, but as a Robert Glasper it's probably a 4/5 album. But with the presentation as a joint collaboration I can't give it much more than 3/5; 3.5/5 absolute tops. But it's the music that counts, right, so I'd still recommend it but I stand by that it was a bad marketing move. You can stream the album via Spotify below to make up your own mind. If you dig it as much as I do - purchase a copy on iTunes or Amazon.

ROBERT GLASPER Revisits MILES DAVIS For "Everything's Beautiful"

I have been meaning to pust this for quite some time but never got around to it but this is a record that I for one will not sleep on. Just like Branford Marsalis and GURU was the ambassadors for jazz and hip-hop fusion in the '90s, the incredibly talented producer Robert Glasper has taken over that role in this day and age. And just like Marsalis he is an incredibly talented jazz producer and pianist with a very deep understanding for grat hip hop. For his upcomng project "Everything's Beautiful" he was invited into the Miles Davis' (the greatest artist of all time) vast collection of original studio tapes by the good people over at the Miles Davis Foundation (which includes son Erin Davis and newphew Vilbert Vincent, Jr. who both played with Miles on stage during the last part of his career). 

The idea for the project is a noble one, rather than an album of covers of the classic Miles tunes, which are never as good as the originals either way, Glasper and co. has dug deep into the archives to find the best samples and found interesting ways to put Miles' voice into a 21th century setting. Considering that the legendary trumpeter, who was always on the move, was going full hip-hop with his last release "Doo Bop" in collaboration with Easy Mo Bee there's no question in my mind that he would be proud of a project like this which makes it a lot more tasteful than several cash-in EP:s and the likes that have been released over the years. "Everyting's Beautiful" sees Glasper play and build on tracks he has reconstructed in the production chair from both Miles' classic that anyone knows such as "All Blues" as some of the more rare material that only true afficionandos as myself are aware of. To top it off he has invited a host of amazing producers and singers to round out the project, including Erykah Badu, 9th Wonder, Phonte, Rashad "Ringo" Smith, Bilal.

Check out the mini documentary on MilesDavisVevo up top and peep the first single "Ghetto Walkin'" featuring Bilal over this paragraph. And turn that volume up while you're at it! And in case you have missed out be sure as hell to check out the trailer for the highly anticipated Don Cheadle vehicle "Miles Ahead" where he has really gone into the acing method of performance to tell a highly fictionalized account of Miles' later years. It's been getting rave reviews at film festivals and should be on one of the best of the year. Peep the trailer here 

ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT / COMMON - "I Stand Alone"

Being a huge fan of both jazz, soul and hip-hop I am super excited by pianist/producer Robert Glasper and his Experiment band and their three "Black Radio" records released so far. This years "Black Radio 2" featured one of my favorite songs of the entire year, which was the heartfelt collaboration with Common, "I Stand Alone", which is now getting the video treatment. A perfect reason to revisit this beautiful song, but you should of course support Glasper and his movement @ Amazon or your store of choice. Directed by Robert Glasper and Brian Deka Paupaw.

ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT - "Calls Remix" (Ft. Jill Scott & Pharoahe Monch)

This remix of The Robert Glasper Experience's darkly soulful Jill Scott-blessed "Calls" single was released quite a few months ago on a special 10" EP called "Porter Chops Glasper". Mr. Porter not only adds a fresh, new beat under Glasper and his band's powerful instrumentation but also brings in lyrical monster Pharoahe Monch who joins in behind Jill Scott. You can grab the entire EP from iTunes, definitely a nice addition to the Glasper catalouge.

[Review] ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT - "BLACK RADIO 2"

My favorite contemporary jazz artist is without a doubt Blue Note pianist/producer Robert Glasper. Many people say that jazz is dead, a thing of the past, mainly because few young listeners have any real knowledge of  what the groundbreaking genre truly is. One of the last young jazz musicians to be written into the jazz canon was the extremely talented trumpeter Wynton Marsalis who started out as a protogé of Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. But rather than striving to take jazz into the future, Marsalis had a lot of elitist ideas, meaning that the bebop, swing, big bands, and hard bop styles of decades past were the only musc worthy to even be called jazz music. At the same time, he made both friends and enemies amongst swinging generation before him, due to his outspokeness and blatant disregard for the innovative and popular jazz fusion music with its use of electronics instruments and rock rhythms. If jazz is to survive we can't make it a small exclusive club for an elitist clientele. Neither can we stand still and dwell on the great times and music of the past. Enter Houston, Texas pianist/producer Robert Glasper and his Experiment band; a musician who I feel is the next real big thing to happen in jazz, and who clearly understands this concept and are hell bent on making jazz more accessible while still staying true to its foundation.

By releasing three highly acclaimed albums as leader of an acoustic piano trio between 2005 and 2009, Robert Glasper made sure that he got the respect of that exclusive clientele who believes jazz to be something only understood and appreciated by a very select few. That he was signed to the most legendary jazz imprint still standing, Blue Note Records, didn't exactly hurt his case either. By the time his fourth album started to take shape things were about to change - the piano trio was switched to a new band, a quartet called The Robert Glasper Experiment. A plethora of electronic instruments and influences from soul, funk, and hip-hop were introduced to the fold; Glasper's acoustic piano would often be switched to Fender Rhodes and various synths, Derrick McHodge played the electric Fender bass, while Chris Dave and Casey Benjamin played drums and various reed instruments, respectively. The resulting album "Black Radio" was completely genre defending, and while the musical backdrops had its roots in soulful jazz music none of the songs were instrumentals as is usual custom. Rather The Experiment was joined by many of the finest voices in the best contemporary music of the day, including Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway, and Chrisette Michelle. It was a daring move, but it gained much critical praise for its well-crafted blend of genres and virtuos playing styles.

  

Now in late 2013, Robert Glasper Experiment and Blue Note Records is aiming to repeating the success with the release of "Black Radio 2" . The question is if it's as exciting as the original, or is it merely a tired repetition of an already played out concept? Even before you put the needle to the vinyl, some similarities are obvious beside the name; like its predecessor, every song on the LP lists at least one guest vocalist, most of them coming from soul and R&B, with a few hip-hop emcees to boost. The most suprising, but definitely exciting, names are Norah Jones and Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. The album kicks off with a "double intro" - the first two minutes of the track is called "Baby Tonight" which is a slow laid back thing where Glasper, Hodges, and Dave plays an acoustic (save for a slight low-key synthesized riff that goes as soon as it comes) groove underlining a vocoder enhanced hook repeating the "Baby Tonight" and "Black Radio" titles. Personally I had hoped for a little more powerful introduction, but my prayers was answered two minutes into the track when Part 2 of the intro kicks in. This one really sets the tone for the musical journey that is "Black Radio 2" a lot better in my opinion. Over an unaccompanied beautiful accoustic piano melody, all of the featured guests on the album introduce themeselves and the album we're about to hear.  

This segues directly into the single "I Stand Alone", featuring two verses by Common and a powerful chorus by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump; a weird combination it might seem at first, but once you hear it, it makes all the sense in the world. Glasper's grand piano playing here is absolutely hypnotic, creating a hauntingly beautiful melody that perfectly underlines Common's verse about, amongst other things, coming to terms with yourselves, and how you sometime need to learn appreciating being alone. Everything about this song is pure magic, from the wonderful acoustic piano in minor, to Common's two particularly strong verses, Patrick Stump's terriffic chorus and Chris Daves immaculate time keeping. "I Stand Alone" has probably been the most rewinded song in my headphones since I first got a hold of it, and as such as I rank it as one of the year's very best songs.

The other song to feature emcees come near to the end of the LP with "Perserverance", a track featuring Snoop Dogg and Lupe Fiasco who trade bars while singer Luke James provides the singing. The production is very low-key, with Hodges, Glasper and Chris Dave playing equally important roles for the main part of the song, with Hodges and Glasper together creating a downbeat melody from just a few notes in minor. Together with the verses and James crooning, the music evokes in me feelings of strong longing for times past. Both emcees sounds great on this somber track (like Snoop's: "Black power, look I'm trying to take the meaning back/ Seems like a wish away, chilling like a villain on the corner with a burner in a pickle play") though they are both too short, but the real treat comes during the last minute when Glasper lets loose of a real virtuos solo on acoustic piano that reminds listeners that, yes he's a team player, but he's also one of the greatest jazz pianists of our time.

Besides these two hip-hop oriented tracks the remaining guests come from the Soul and R&B world, which suits the Experiment's music very well though I personally would have liked at least few more emcees making their rounds on the LP. But that's not to say that there's not some extremely potent songs on here... The Norah James collaboration "Let It Ride", "Calls" by Jill Scott, Emeli Sande's "Somebody Else" and "Worries" with Dwéle immediatly comes to mind as some of the best soul music I've heard in a long time. Superb records like these is something that I can see being played and praised 20 years from now. Out of jazz, R&B and hip-hop, which is the three genres mostly used in the compositions of "Black Radio 2", R&B is the one I personally listen to the least. It is also the predominant style out of the three on this album, although there's always a slight jazz emphasis on any cut, and while I do truly love all of the songs mentioned above, I feel the album would have been made even stronger by cutting off some of the slowest jams. The six minutes long "Trust" by Marsha Ambrosious, an artist I often enjoy, does absolutely nothing for me for example. In my opinion it would have been wiser to add a few more hip-hop oriented tracks (imagine Talib Kweli, Ghostface, Q-Tip or Posdnous over a Glasper Experiment track) and at least one long jazz instrumental where the band could really stretch out as soloists would have been fantastic to hear if you ask me. The problem is that around the middle of the album (tracks #6 to #8) it does drag on a bit too much without really getting anywhere for my taste. It should be said that nothing here is wack though, and it is definitely listenable from front-to-back. Oh, and on anoter note - make sure to grab the "DELUXE EDITION" of this if you have the chance as it features no less than 5 additional songs; including a brilliant joint with Jean Grae and Macy Gray which should have been on the ordinary release, no question. 

But overall this is a very well crafted and well executed album by any means. The musicians is constantly impressing, and each one of the Experiment's members have at least a couple of moments where they shine a little extra. Glasper himself constantly shines, and even though he rarely solos he proves that he's the most interesting pianist of our day. The production, sound quality and engineering are all top notch and is as sharp as a knife. You can tell that there's been a lot of thought put into the making of this album - which to me is even better than its 2010 predecessor. Which singer or rapper gets on what song are strategically placed, as all artists sounds right at home and in their element despite the tracks differing from the artists personal LP:s. The instrumental parts, the vocals; on the whole it's mostly phenomenal. The biggest problem for audiophiles these days might be where the hell to label/categorize the album in their collection (haha). It will probably go under jazz being that it's on Blue Note Records and that Robert Glasper has previously released albums of classic jazz styles. But the truth is that "Black Radio 2" defies any genre labeling except good music - it¨s not exactly jazz, neither is it soul/R&B or hip-hop. But it certainly has elements of all those genres, so if you're like me and like all aforementioned musical styles this album is a true blessing. I am tempted to give this album a 4/5 rating, but like I said before the middle kind of drags it down a bit so ultimately I'm settling for 3.5/5. Either way, Robert Glasper is amongst the most exciting artist active on the contempary music scene today and I can't wait to see what he'll be doing next. I pray we'll get a remix EP similiar to the six track record we got soon after "Black Radio".

ADDITIONAL LISTENING

Robert Glasper Experiment - "Black Radio: Recovered - The Remix EP" [12" EP]

Black Milk Ft, Robert Glasper & Dwele - "Sonny's Dream"

Robert Glasper Ft. Mos Def - "Stakes is High"

Bilal Ft. Robert Glasper - "Butterfly"

Q-Tip Ft. Robert Glasper - "You"

R0BERT GLASPER x 2 (Norah Jones, Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, Luke James)

Yeah I know this is more or less strictly a hip-hop blog, but it's also my blog and as I'm a big fan of jazz, soul, some rock, and even some classical beside true school hip-hop you can count on any new material from Rober Glasper and his Experiment band getting pushed on The Lost Tapes. "Black Radio" from early 2012 was a very dope album that had its roots in jazz, soul and hip-hop, and the remix album "Black Radio: Recovered" were even iller. If you've paid attention you know that The Robert Glasper Experiment is soon to release the sequel to the aforementioned album, and with four singles released so far this is shaping up to be just as good, if not better, than the original installment.

 

Signed to Blue Note Records, the "Black Radio" series is moving away from Glasper's three debuting albums as he had ditched the majority of the accoustic instruments and replaced the piano trio with a bigger band that all embraces electronic instruments. Following "Calls" (w. Jill Scott), "Somebody Else" (w. Emelie Sande) and "I Stand Alone" (w. Common), the fourth and fifth singles sees Glasper and The Experiment team up with beautiful singer Norah Jones ("Let it Ride"), and Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco & Luke James ("Perserve"), respectively. My favorite soul-jazz album of last year was without a doubt the "Black Radio: Recovered" mini album, and "Black Radio 2" might very well hold down that same position in 2013. The album drops October 29!

ROBERT GLASPER Ft. Emelie Sandé - "Somebody Else"

Over the last few years the young (born '78) Texas jazz pianist Robert Glasper has gone from musical wonderchild to one of the most forward thinking artists of our day. Stretching the boundaries of all black music while maintaining his well earned jazz stripes. Signed to the legendary Blue Note records, Glasper's first three albums (released between 2005 and 2009) established him as an up-and-coming household name on the traditional accoustic jazz scene. On the '09 LP, "Double Booked" the producer/pianist started incorporating more eclectic ideas, making use of electronic instruments and making use for a wider range of influences. This was the birth of the Robert Glasper Experiment, featuring Glasper on Rhodes, Derrick Hodges on Bass, Chris Dave on Drums and Sax player Casey Benjamin. This lead to the brilliant experiment called "Black Radio" and the equally hot "Black Radio: Recovered" which saw Robert Glasper and his band team up with some of the hottest artists of today.

This year The Robert Glasper Experiment is gearing up for another smooth journey into the realms of good music with "Black Radio 2". So far a few singles have been released and there's a good possibility we're looking for one of the most interesting LP:s of the year. Just check "Somebody Else" with Emeli Sandé up top, and then move on to "Calls" featuring the beautiful Jill Scott below.

[Album] BLACK MILK - "No Poison, No Paradise"

2013 marks the release of the first official Black Milk solo project since 2010's "Album of the Year". This one's called "No Poison, No Paradise" and blends the soulful Detroit mastermind's production and vocal talents with guest spots from emcees ranging from Black Thought (!) to Quelle Chris and maybe most excitingly a collaboration with genre bending pianist/producer Robert Glasper and Dwele. Interestingly enough, the production is also backed up by Will Sessions who most of us remember for their excellent instrumental work on eLzhi's "eLmatic" a couple of years ago. The album officially drops October 15, but the good folks at Pitchfork has uploaded the entire LP for free streaming... So sit back, press play, enjoy and BLAST IT LOUD!

01. "Interpret Sabotage" (Ft. Mel)

02. "Deion's House"

03. "Codes & Cab Fare" (Ft. Black Thought & Marquise Porter)

04. "Ghetto Demf" (Ft. Quelle Chris)

05. "Sonny Jr." (Ft. Robert Glasper & Dwele)

06. "Sunday's Best"

07. "Monday's Worst"

08. "Perfect On Puritan Ave."

09. "Dismal"

10. "Parallels" (Ft. Ab)

11. "X Chords"

12. "Black Sabbath" (Ft. Tone Trezure)

13. Money Bags (Paradise)"

STREAM "NO POISON, NO PARADISE" @ PITCHFORK

Robert Glasper Experiment Ft. Common - "I Stand Alone"

As my two biggest favorite genres are by far hip-hop, followed by jazz, the modern Blue note signee Robert Glasper is a virtuoso piano player, and producer with a big love for hip-hop that shined through extensively on last year's "Black Radio" and the "Black Radio Revisited (Remixes) EP". So I'm real eager to see what his upcoming "Black Radio II" will have in store for us devoted fans. "I Stand Alone" is the latest single from the actual album and features stellar performances by Common and guest vocalist Patrick Stump and is definitely worth several listens. You can pre-order the album, which drops early next month Stay tuned for more info but in the meantime let the soothing sounds of "I Stand Alone" take you on a journey below. 

[Mixtape] PORTER vs. GLASPER - "Porter Chopps Glasper"

Since I first started The Lost Tapes I got at least a gang of requeststs on making a compilation of the production work of Mr. Porter. I always declined since I like some of the D-12 beatsmith's work but the moments his Music has made my jaw drop can be counted on my five finger left hand. However, jazz pianist and producer Robert Glasper is among my faovirte non-hip hop artists around right now, creating absolute magic with his recent eclectic fusion LP:s "Black Radio" and its sister piece "Black Radio Recovered: The EP", the latter being one of the finest and most addictive releases of the year.

 

For "Porter Chopps Glasper". Porter takes the mission to create his own interpretations of Robert Glasper and his band's genre-fusion blend of black Music that stretches friom hip-hop, to gospel, from jazz and funk, to soul and african rhythms, from vocal R&B, to the spirit of Diola. I haven't had the pleasure of listening yet, but if it's as good as I hope, it should be a good introduction for fans of goth artistl

 

Robert Glasper - "Black Radio Recovered: Remix EP"

Jazz sensation Robert Glasper dropped his highly inspired "Black Radio" project together with his Experiment band earlier this year. The last week has seen the original sessions giving room for new interpretations of some of the stand outs as Glasper been sending out about a joint a day. Featuring remixes by the pianist/composer himself, Pete Rock, ?uestlove, Georgia Anne Muldrow and 9th Wonder, the six track set is now available to experience in full... This one is a great suprise that is warmly welcomed by all of us that enjoyed the album that preceeded it; well done Glasper!

01. "Afro Blue" [9th Wonder's Blue Light Basement Remix] (Ft. Erykah Badu & Phonte)

02. "Black Radio" [Pete Rock Remix] (Ft. Yasiin Bey)

03. "The Consequences of Jealousy" [Georgia Anne Muldrow's Sassy Geemix] (Ft. Meshell Ndegeocello)

04. "Twice" [?uestlove's Twice Baked Remix] (Ft. The Roots & Solange Knowles)

05. "Letter to Hermoine" [Robert Glasper & Jewels Remix] (Ft. Black Milk)

06. "DiLLalude #2"

"BLACK RADIO RECOVERED EP" @ SOUNDCLOUD

"BLACK RADIO RECOVERED EP" @ iTUNES

Robert Glasper Experiment - "Black Radio Recovered" EP

Blue Note's new flagship artist, the pianist and composer Robert Glasper is by far one of the most interesting things to happen in the jazz world at the moment. For his fourth album, "Black Radio", Glasper has left the more traditional piano trio vintage jazz music for an eclectic fusion mix of hard bop, jazz fusion, hip-hop, soul and R&B. Now that the full-lengther is starting to sink in, Glasper invites some of his favorite producers to reinvision some of the cuts from the album for "Black Radio Recovered Remix EP". With a total of six tracks, this week will see Glasper release one cut through his Soundcloud page each day, culminating with the non-album track (although the original was featured on an earlier album from the pianist) "Dillatude #2" on Monday 8.

Check out half the EP below, and the other half will be posted on the date mentioened above. The tracks released so far include a Pete Rock remix of the Yasiin Bey/Mos Def assisted title track; a 9th Wonder version of the Erykah Badu featured "Afro Blue" (possibly my favorite joint from the original LP), which also includes a brand new verse from Phonte; and last but not least Georgia Anne Muldrow's envisioning of "The Consequece of Jealousy" with vocals by Meshell Ndegoeocelle. Be on the lookout for remixes by ?uestlove and Glasper himself featuring Black Milk. Gotta love stuff like this that basically comes out of nowhere!!

DOOM x ROBERT GLASPER EXPERIMENT - "Madvillain Live"

I can't imagine that a frequent visitor of The Lost Tapes are more than well aware of the Super Villain and his vast catalouge. I would think that fewer readers are aware of Texas jazz pianist Robert Glasper; currently signed to the one and only Blue Note Records. Since DOOM's music is often built around jazz and hip-hop samples juxtaposed, it really shouldn't come as that much of a suprise that they've been performing a smaller amount of live shows to great results. The material in question is some of the Madlib classics reinvisioned by The Robert Glasper Experiment (which consists of pianist Glasper, Derrick Hodge on bass, Casey Benjamin on keboards and produciton, as well as drummer Chris Dave. The Madvillain cuts heard here sounds great in the context of live instrumentation so make sure to check it out below.

Out of the two sets, the first (Soundcloud link), the two track medley of "Figaro" and "Rhinestone Cowboy" is from the iTunes Festival in London about a week ago. The second, three-track set, is a set from the Montreauz Jazz Festival last year, borrowed from AllTheWayLive and is a great listen for any fans of DOOM and Glasper  The two combined sets run for almost 30 minutes and is a very memorable half an hour. On a side note, The Robert Glasper Experimen recently released "Black Radio", a strongly recommended projecr for fans of smooth jazz with a touch of hip-hop. Enjoy and TURN IT UP!!

GLASPER / DOOM - "iTunes Festival"