Robert Glasper: Temptation Redux

Anthony King

Tony King is an acclaimed broadcaster and writer based in Alberta Canada. His current professional affiliation is with the CKUA Radio Network.

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Published: March 23, 2012

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Robert Glasper—© Mike Schreiber After being cast into the spotlight at such a young age, Glasper stepped back from the hype that followed the release of Mood and chose to dig deeper into his eclectic tastes to furnish successive efforts. "As I got signed to Blue Note, I think my pallet kind of opened up at little. For my second disc, Canvas (Blue Note, 2005), I felt a little more like I was doin' my thing, you know, and then on my next album J Dillalude appears, and I felt like I was pushing things just a little bit more, then a little bit more after that."

In 2009, Glasper released Double Booked (Blue Note), a collection that literally fused the seemingly disparate influences that come into play in his music. Cascading melodies were parsed against hard grooves and melodic flourishes on Fender Rhodes and grand piano. The disc was the proverbial two-headed hydra, where reverence for the masters brushed up against the streetwise sensibilities of contemporary sounds—all mitigated by Glasper's deft hand on the keys.

Turn the clock to the present, and Glasper's impending tour, bringing Black Radio to bare—a disc that melds the urgency of Jackson Pollock with the languid pastiche of Monet. When asked to describe the record Glasper says he went in with a vision. "I wanted the record to have one vibe, all the records I've always loved have had one producer; they stand alone as a single entity, they tell a story." When asked what the overarching theme might be for his latest, Glasper instantly replies "It's all in the title. Really it's about being soulful and true. And though I feature a lot of special guests, it's really a family record."

Rest assured, the soul will bleed through every note, when Robert Glasper Experiment takes to the stage for his 2012 dates through Canada and the US.

Selected Discography

Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio (Blue Note, 2012)
Robert Glasper, Double Booked (Blue Note, 2009)
Robert Glasper, In My Element (Blue Note, 2007)
Robert Glasper, Canvas (Blue Note, 2005)
Robert Glasper Trio, Mood (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2004)

Photo Credits
Page 1 & 2: Michael Schreiber

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