Jazz Articles about Robert Glasper

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Robert Glasper: In My Element

by J Hunter
June 8, 2007

One night in 2006 the Robert Glasper Trio was tearing it up onstage, with pianist Glasper painting hypnotic patterns over the frenetic groove of drummer Damion Reid bassist and Vicente Archer. About an hour in, people started walking out--first in ones and twos, then in groups. It wasn't Ornette Coleman getting punched in the face by a scandalized audience member, but the rebuke was pretty clear. The house was half-full at show's end, and while the trio got a well-deserved ...

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Robert Glasper: Canvas

by Abe Pollack
March 3, 2006

Many young jazz musicians are no strangers to pop music. More familiar with Radiohead's Kid A and Public Enemy than Jerome Kern or Cole Porter, they have become increasingly more adventurous in an attempt to make jazz a commodity for the 21st Century. Unlike glossy pop covers from the '80s, Robert Glasper uses subtlety to explore late-20th Century music. This is no surprise. Having performed with Q-Tip, Bilal and Meshell Ndegeocello, Glasper finds comfort and room to ...

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Robert Glasper at Joe's Pub

by Forrest Dylan Bryant
February 16, 2006

Robert Glasper QuintetJoe's Pub, NYCJanuary 13, 2006Anyone who attended Robert Glasper's January 13th set at Joe's Pub solely on the basis of Canvas, Glasper's recent recording for Blue Note, was in for a major shock. Canvas is a very well executed, compelling, but quite straightforward jazz album. What Glasper and his crew laid down at Joe's was a glimpse of the music's future, pure and simple.The casually dressed group -- with Glasper at the piano, ...

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Robert Glasper: Canvas

by Mark F. Turner
October 5, 2005

In addition to unveiling gems from the past like John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk's At Carnegie Hall, Blue Note continues to spotlight the musicians of present with recordings like Robert Glasper's Canvas. Similar to Jason Moran, Jacky Terrasson, and Bill Charlap, who also record for Blue Note, Glasper has the vision and ability to create a fresh statement within the jazz piano idiom. Following on the heels of his well received 2004 debut, Mood, this recording continues to reveal his ...

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Robert Glasper: Canvas

by Woodrow Wilkins
October 4, 2005

Robert Glasper Canvas Blue Note Records 2005

Wow! That's the first expression that came to mind when I heard “Rise and Shine, the opening track on Canvas. Pianist Robert Glasper's trio--including Vicente Archer on bass and Damion Reid on drums--is as tight as a unit can. This aptly named tune, sure to help many a dreary eye awaken, sizzles from start to finish. And it's just a prelude of things to come.The ...

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Robert Glasper: Canvas

by Paul Olson
October 3, 2005

Houston-raised, New York-based pianist Robert Glasper's Blue Note debut is only his second CD as a leader, but one would be hard pressed to find a single argument against his being ready for the big-time jazz limelight. The 67 minutes of music on Canvas are packed with richly memorable compositions, virtuosic playing, unassumingly exotic harmony and superlative group interplay. It's the most startlingly fine debut on Blue Note in quite a while.This is, for the most part, a ...

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Robert Glasper: Canvas

by Jim Santella
October 1, 2005

As the paintbrush of modern mainstream jazz takes broader strokes across the canvas of contemporary music, Robert Glasper folds elements from several areas into his art. And that's what makes his performances so interesting.

His first album, Mood (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2004), introduced the pianist as an eclectic artist who takes jazz and blues to heart. The 26-year-old Houston native has made numerous connections in contemporary music circles, and has worked in different modes.

Canvas, however, places ...