For all his musical achievements, Robert Glasper stands as one of the most versatile yet accessible musicians of his generation. In a recent chat, the Grammy-winning pianist and composer shared with Hip-Hop Wired his vision for The Black Radio Experience and bringing soulful vibes to Napa Valley for Labor Day Weekend.
Robert Glasper has over a dozen releases spanning the soundscapes of Jazz, Soul, R&B, Funk and Hip-Hop. Through the world famous record label Blue Note, Glasper released Black Radio in 2012 and was true to his portrayal of the Black radio station under his watchful direction. The original idea led to a Black Radio trilogy that ended in 2022 and is still discovering himself as an artist through his latest work, Let fall.
Source: Marc Fong / Marc Fong
Anyone who has ever attended a Robert Glasper show quickly learns that he is, without a doubt, a masterful yet playful showman whose skill as a pianist allows him to open his musical sandbox to a wide range of sounds. In our conversation with Glasper, we asked him what The Black Radio Experience means to him and how he plans to bring those ideas to life in Northern California's Wine Country.
“The Black Radio Experience, just like you hear on my albums, is exactly that vibe and you can see that the festival will feature artists who have appeared in Black Radio albums like Common, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Terrace Martin, Derrick Hodge,” Glasper explains.
“It's not about putting out the hottest song or anything, but a collection of artists making songs that bring out those good feelings. These are artists that promote real music, love, honesty and all from a dark and soulful perspective. This is and always will be The Black Radio Experience,” added Glasper.
Glasper shared that while the theme of the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa has maintained that credo for the past three years, this year's festival broadens the field with a focus on red wine brands, chefs bringing to light curated menu ideas and making the festival a safe space to celebrate the wide range of black creativity that also includes the arts and dance.
“The festival is just an extension of my love for music and people and what I've set out to do since the beginning Black Radio album, which is what Black radio stations could be,” Glasper said.
“When I made that first album, I was already immersed in different styles of music and playing it, but committing to wax was the next step, and over the years with the festival, we've been able to bring my vision of Black Radio on stage and show that we have so much going for us as creative people,” shared Glasper.
Source: Blue Note Jazz Festival / Blue Note Jazz Festival
Among the headliners for The Blue Note Jazz Festival Presents: The Black Radio Experience, which features the aforementioned acts from the albums, is André 3000. Three Stacks famously transitioned from the rap part of his career and leaning into instrumental music via his latest album, New Blue Sun. Glasper says he found the Atlanta artist's choice to try something new inspiring, and that was his thinking in creating his latest work, Let Go.
“I've had so many people tell me they heard New Blue Sun and mediated it or cleaned their house on it, hell, even I did the same,” Glasper said. “I've had people tell me they'd do the same to some of my music and that's why I partnered with Apple Music to drop Let Go. I wanted to give the listeners something to reset their day and even inspire myself to do it slowly.”
Robert Glasper will be in Napa, California this Labor Day weekend for The Blue Note Jazz Festival Presents: The Black Radio Experience.
To learn more about the festival, click here.
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Photo: Marc Fong/Blue Note Jazz Festival
