Flautist Jef Kearns demonstrates his unique knack of making the flute speak the urban language of soul as he steps in for Robert Glasper on this version of "Ah Yeah". Step into the comfort zone as a combination of Rhodes keys and soloing on flute lead this new vision of songwriting in a groove which is incredibly soulful. As Jazz and R&B blend, Jef creates heaven as he is joined by two talented vocalists who evoke notions of peace and love through their delivery and vocal tone from beginning to end.

This 2014 NPR Tiny Desk performance event pairs two great sounds of Jazz in the soulful sounds of Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Marsha Ambrosius on vocals and the soothing vibes of Jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton. Enjoy and check out more 2014 NPR Tiny Desk performances at their YouTube channel.

"The third song in this Tiny Desk Concert, explains the jocose pianist Robert Glasper, first appeared on one of his trio's albums of acoustic, instrumental jazz. It was called "F.T.B." then, though it later acquired words and a singer and was retitled "Gonna Be Alright" on the record which won the 2013 Grammy for Best R&B Album. That in itself provides a sense of the worlds to which Glasper has access; depending on your point of view, he either freely traverses or explodes those boundaries.

Glasper has released two albums of what you might call neo-soul, or maybe organic R&B, featuring a core band (The Robert Glasper Experiment) and guest stars like Erykah Badu, Lupe Fiasco and Norah Jones. Black Radio and last year's sequel, Black Radio 2, aren't heard much on "urban" radio, but the point is that they ought to be. Glasper builds his songs with old-school values: singers and MCs who don't need software to carry a melody, improvising within a band, hand-building beats and vamps with live instruments.

That's what you see at the Tiny Desk. "Trust" features Marsha Ambrosius, formerly of the duo Floetry, and it's a good example of the Black Radio concept in raw, unpasteurized form. The middle tune is an ad hoc improvisation, and a good example of how Glasper and his Experiment have so dialed in their communication that they can plant seeds of noise and harvest blooms of music. By the time "F.T.B" (a.k.a. "Gonna Be Alright") rolls around, the mood is familiar and at ease. It's the sound of a band whose members speak many musical languages, but decide to converse in one that feels like its native tongue."
--PATRICK JARENWATTANANON

Set List
"Trust"
"NPR Tiny Desk Jam"
"F.T.B. (Gonna Be Alright)"

Personnel
Robert Glasper, keyboards
Derrick Hodge, bass
Mark Colenburg, drums
Marsha Ambrosius, voice

Enjoy the futuristic sounds of Soul by Robert Glasper and Jill Scott who are assisted by lyrical heavyweight Phoarohe Monch and Denaun Porter on the boards for the remix of "Calls" and D's instrumental "Porter Chops Glasper", a special 2013 Record Store Day release by Blute Note.

Enjoy the sounds of Robert Glasper Experiment in a Spotify album stream of "Black Radio 2" and a live appearance on KCRW radio where they perform and discuss details behind the making of their star-studded Blue Note Records follow-up.

“The year just got a lot more soulful” wrote SPIN after Robert Glasper Experiment announced the forthcoming release of Black Radio 2. Now RGX has announced an expanded Deluxe Edition of Black Radio 2 that will also be available October 29 digitally and on CD and will include 4 additional tracks featuring special guests Macy Gray, Jean Grae, Bilal, Jazmine Sullivan, and Eric Roberson, as well as a cover of the Bill Withers classic “Lovely Day” that includes a spoken intro from Mr. Withers himself.

The iTunes pre-order for Black Radio 2 is available today and comes with an instant grat download of the album’s lead single “Calls” featuring Jill Scott, which impacted at radio last week and was Most Added at Urban AC. Fans can find news about the new album, listen to and purchase music, watch exclusive videos, see upcoming tour dates and more in The Official Robert Glasper Experiment App, which is available now exclusively through the App Store.


On their 2012 breakout Black Radio, RGX laid out a new paradigm for creative music, reaching beyond entrenched genre boundaries to create a singular vision that drew from all reaches of contemporary black music and beyond. Black Radio drew unanimous praise from critics across the board and earned Glasper the highest chart positions of his career when the album debuted at #10 on Billboard‘s Top Current Albums chart. The album kept earning accolades (a BET Centric Award nomination, a Soul Train Award win) all the way to the 2013 GRAMMY Awards where Black Radio was awarded Best R&B Album.

 RGX ups the ante with the release of Black Radio 2, another genre-defying effort that takes the Black Radio blueprint and builds to even greater heights. The core remains the Experiment, as astoundingly versatile a band as has ever existed, featuring Robert Glasper on keyboards, Derrick Hodge on bass, Mark Colenburg on drums, and Casey Benjamin on vocoder and saxophone. Providing the vocals on the album’s standard edition is another jaw-dropping roll call of vocalists including Common, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Brandy, Jill Scott, Dwele, Marsha Ambrosius, Anthony Hamilton, Faith Evans, Norah Jones, Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, Luke James, Emeli Sandé, Lalah Hathaway, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner."

 RGX has also announced the Fall tour Black Radio Presents: Common & Marsha Ambrosius with Robert Glasper Experiment, a co-headlined limited engagement tour with Black Radio 2 guests Common and Ambrosius. The tour will make stops in cities including New York City (Best Buy Theater, Oct. 29) and Los Angeles (Club Nokia, Nov. 14), with stand-alone RGX dates interspersed in between. More dates will be announced shortly, see below for a full list of dates that are currently confirmed.

  FALL 2013 TOUR DATES (Click here to purchase via Ticketnetwork): Black Radio Presents: Common & Marsha Ambrosius with Robert Glasper Experiment

10/26 – Masonic Temple – Detroit, MI

10/29 – Best Buy Theater – New York, NY

11/9 – H Town Arena – Houston, TX

11/14 – Club Nokia – Los Angeles, CA

Robert Glasper Experiment

10/5 – Empire Room – Austin, TX

10/6 – New Brunswick Jazz Festival – New Brunswick, NJ

10/18 – SFJAZZ – San Francisco, CA

11/3 – Birchmere – Alexandria, VA

Common and Robert Glasper Experiment create inspiring music you can feel in "I Stand Alone". This powerful fusion of Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop elevates the musical vision of Hip Hop's voice and speaks to the everyday persons thoughts of utilizing their inner strength for daily survival. From Robert Glasper Experiment's "Black Radio 2" LP dropping October 29, 2013.

Check out a couple clips of Common during the release of his 2nd LP "Resurrection" courtesy of Hias74. When reflecting back to this period and looking at how far he has progressed artistically, it's inspiring to see an MC who has grown in life with his music and gone out of his way to express positive messages.

Two of America's leading Jazz fusion band's rock the stage in separate performances live from Europe's Festival Jazz En Tête and Southport Weekender events. Prepare to absorb a 2 hour presentation of mind-blowing sounds as Robert Glasper Experiment and Chris Dave and the Drumhedz push the envelope of Jazz expression and live performance.

Thanks to D Neaxeah N at Soundcloud for the uploads.


Chris Dave and the Drumhedz - live @ Festival Jazz En Tête in Clermont-Ferrand

2013

on MezzoTV

Chris "Daddy" Dave - Drums
Isaiah Sharkey - Guitar
Kebbi Williams - Sax & Flute
Jermaine Williams - Bass

Robert Glasper live performance at the 48th Southport Weekender UK in May 2012

Piano : Robert Glasper
Sax/ vovder : Casey Benjamin
Bass : Derrick Hodge
Drums : Mark Colenburg