Formed in the early 90’s, Digable Planets (Butterfly, Ladybug and Doodlebug) fused jazz and hip hop better than any group before them or since. Their debut album Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) garnered them critical and commercial success. It was a mellow ride packed with samples from jazz greats Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins and Curtis Mayfield. “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”, their first single, hit the R&B Top Ten upon release. Later that year they were rewarded a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Duo or Group for their laid back vibe which was more akin to a jazz show than a hip hop concert.
They continued the jazz-rap fusion with Blowout Comb in 1994, branching out to embrace the old school sound as well. Despite their proven success the group split up as a result of creative differences, disappointing their numerous fans. Digable Planets are considered by many as one of the pioneers of jazz-fused hip-hop and are to this day seen as one of the finest hip-hop groups of all time. Reunited in the fall of 2004, Digable Planets embarked on the first leg of their reunion tour in Europe (February 2005) selling out 20 dates along the way and re-establishing their brand of sophistication and cool. The group also performed before sold out crowds in Miami during the Winter Music Conference and M3 Summit as well as in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theater. Both the European tour and U.S. dates generated a massive burst of press and industry buzz, media outlets as diverse as MTV, Urb, Rime and Ice Magazine covered the event.
The Ford Motor Company even jumped on the Digable Planets bandwagon by featuring their classic hit “Cool Like Dat” in a series of commercials for CBS’s hit program American Idol, generating over 50 million media impressions. This marks the second time in less than a year that a Fortune 500 company has sought inspiration in the Digable Planet Catalog with Target Corporation being the first. With recent feature stories on MTV.com, Vibe.com, Associated Press and a multitude of international media outlets, it is clear that the group is back in the limelight.
Tour dates:
Mon 6 June: Ottawa/Canada
Tues 7 June: Montreal/Canada, Le Tulipe/Club Soda
Wed 8 June: Toronto/Canada, Phoenix
Thurs 9 June: Cleveland, OH – CMJ Agora Theater
Sat 11 June: Minneapolis, MN, 1st Avenue
Mon 13 June: Boulder, CO, Fox Theater
Tues 14 June: Salt Lake/Park City, UT, Harry O’s
Thurs 16 June: Vancouver/Canada, Commodore-HOB
Fri 17 June: Portland, OR, Berbati’s Pan
Sun 19 June: San Francisco, CA, DNA Lounge
Mon 20 June: Los Angeles, CA, House of Blues
Tues 21 June: Anaheim, CA, House of Blues
Wed 22 June: San Francisco, CA, Independent
Thurs 23 June: Sacramento, CA, Empire
Fri 24 June: San Diego, CA, Belly Up
Sat 25 June: Phoenix, AZ, Old Brick House
Mon 27 June: Austin, TX, La Zona Rosa
Tues 28 June: New Orleans, LA, House of Blues
Wed 29 June: Atlanta, GA, Earthlink Live/Apache
Thurs 30 June: Orlando, FL, House of Blues
Fri 1 July: St. Petersburg FL, Janus Landing
Sat 2 July: Miami, FL The State Theater
Tues 5 July: Philadelphia, PA, World Café
Wed 6 July: Washington D.C., 930 Club
Thurs 7 July: New York, NY, Irving Plaza
Fri 8 July: Boston, MA, The Roxy
Sat 9 July: New Haven, CT, Toad’s Place
For more information contact All About Jazz.
