A Creative Tribute to Roy Ayers by The Robert Glasper Experiment

I have found it: the grooviest concert on medici.tv! And, I would go as far as to say that this concert is a masterclass, thanks to its abounding creativity and artistry. The music is a combination of varied talents and disciplines: freestyle rap, DJ scratches, and jazz improvisation. 

This concert also has a didactic dimension, as it shines a light on key techniques and moments in modern music history. In tribute to the career and musical legacy of vibraphonist, singer, and composer Roy Ayers, The Robert Glasper Experiment — alongside special guests Stefon Harris (vibraphone) and Pete Rock (turntables, electronics) — returns to the origins of hip-hop, rap, and R’n’B. The music harks back to the era when DJs would loop carefully selected samples from soul and fusion albums (particularly tracks by Roy Ayers) to create instrumentals, over which MCs (known as “masters of ceremony” or “microphone controllers,” precursors to rappers) would deliver their lyrics with their iconic “flow.”

By playing typically sampled melodic and rhythmic parts live, all the while recreating drum machine beats with real drums, and by layering DJs’ CD scratch sounds over the top, the Robert Glasper Experiment delivers a stylistically varied yet coherent artistic performance, and demonstrates that pre-recorded and live music can work hand in hand without overshadowing each other. And the results are marvelous! A full circle moment, in every way.

Roy Ayers’s influence on the music of today is undeniable when you hear his legendary songs, such as “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” and “Searching,” rearranged and reinterpreted with contemporary instrumental sonorities by the members of this all-star rap and fusion band, any one of whom alone would justify the ticket price.

And what a lineup! Robert Glasper and Stefon Harris form an inseparable duo, the warm, soft sound of their respective instruments (a Fender Rhodes piano and vibraphone) marrying together beautifully. At the front of the stage, Casey Benjamin shows his remarkable versatility as a saxophonist and keytarist (a key-based synthesizer played like a guitar). Derrick Hodge brings the groove on bass. The MC, Pete Rock, leads the group with his charismatic presence, assured flow, and DJ scratches. Personally, I was most impressed by drummer Chris Dave who combines the surgical rhythms of a drum machine with his fine-tuned musical intuition and the richness of acoustic percussion. Note the creativity he displays with a minimalist drum kit, with its very unusual configuration (three snares!).

Another highlight for me is “Red, Black & Green,” during which Chris Dave and Pete Rock treat us to moments of staggering improvisation… First, check out Dave’s extraordinary drum solo over a loop laid down by Rock: a rhythmic performance of insane speed and yet pinpoint precision. Then, when Rock takes center stage, witness an energetic freestyle that the audience enthusiastically joins in on.