With his well-crafted new album, Black Radio (Blue Note), pianist Robert Glasper puts a spotlight on the reality of most contemporary jazz musicians: they’re not interested in playing just “jazz.” On most of his records he’s added flourishes of hip-hop and modern R&B, but this one goes all the way, with instrumental solos kept to a minimum and vocals on every cut—including contributions from Erykah Badu, Lupe Fiasco, Ledisi, and Yasin Bey (aka Mos Def). Still, Glasper’s interactions with his killer band the Experiment demonstrate a rapport and spontaneity they learned in jazz—and every member is just as fluent in soul. He spoke to Chicago pianist and organist Justin Dillard, who’s one of the brightest lights on the local scene whether leading his McCoy Tyner-esque trio or working hard as a ubiquitous sideman. The Robert Glasper Experiment plays at Double Door on Sat 3/10. This weekend Dillard debuts a quartet called Highered Current (with guitarist Bobby Broom) at Pete Miller’s in Evanston; that gig runs Thu 3/8 through Sun 3/11. —Peter Margasak
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So the album’s been out for three or four days now. The response I’ve gotten from a lot of cats from the day it came out has been like, “Album of the Year” already. What was your vision for making this album? The vision was just to transport jazz into this present time, because it’s always looked at as a historic music and we were always playing homage to somebody. The mainstream people don’t know that jazz can be hip and cool and can incorporate things that are hip and new. Now it’s something that they like. So I wanted to do a record that basically just crossed over to the mainstream audience that gives them a taste of jazz. It’s not a straight-up jazz record, but it’s enough that you know it’s in there.
Robert Glasper at the Double Door, Saturday March 10.
Is there any piece of advice from one of your greatest influences that you’ve retained and you see replayed in your mind based on what you experience in this music and in life? Russell Malone was a big influence on me. When I was in college I toured with Russell for like two and a half years, and he always knew that I had that extra, hip, loved-to-play-other-kinds-of-shit in my music. He would come check me out—this was before I got signed, of course, so he was just coming to hear my band play, my little trio play, whenever I was doing stuff. But he always told me, “Yeah, motherfucker, do your shit, man. Do your shit. Don’t let nobody tell you not to do that shit. That shit is hip and I love that shit.” You know, nobody likes everything. Trane wasn’t liked from day one. People was running out the audience when he was playing. People used to call his music “fire alarm music,” because whenever he would start playing, people would run, literally. Also Cecil Taylor. Cecil lives around the corner from me. Like I literally go to the store and he’s buying tea. When he sees me, he stops and talks to me and talks to me literally for an hour. Sometimes I have to duck and try to get away. Cecil is so brilliant, dude.
