Search - Robert Glasper :: In My Element

Piano trio for the new millennium.

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There're three types of pianistic virtuosity, I'm thinking: the blow-you-out-of-the-water type, with such outrageous technique and flair as to drop jaws, such as John Wolf Brennan, Jean-Michel Pilc, or Vijay Iyer; the totally natural type, whose effortless mastery astounds not by sheer brilliance but by total command of all aspects of playing as well as startling imagination, such as Bill Evans or Brad Mehldau; and, thirdly, the hard-won type, where subtlety, nuance, and understatement dominate, and which in the end may be the most rewarding of all, which Kenny Baron, Mulgrew Miller, and, most significantly, Frank Kimbrough exemplify. Then there's the extremely rare player who combines all three, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, and, perhaps, Jason Moran immediately coming to mind. I think it's safe to add Robert Glasper to that last category, even though this is just his third session as leader.



He seems able to do anything he wants, be it a romantically drenched, haunting, Sehnsuct-filled outing, recalling, remarkably, both Esbjorn Svensson and Frank Kimbrough at once ("Maiden Voyage/Everything in Its Right Place"); a drop-dead gorgeous reading of Sam Rivers's great ballad, "Beatrice" (taken at an irreverent gallop during the entire middle section), evoking a Jacky Terrasson-meets-Jean-Michel-Pilc sensibility, or the gospel-drenched "Y'Outta Praise Him," so thick in Church that it makes Cyrus Chestnut's You Are My Sunshine seem downright secular.



His band follows his every step with absolute ease. Damion Reid on drums especially impresses. With Ari Hoenig, Jeff Ballard, Eric Harland, and Michael Sarin, he's bringing a new, more expressivistic, almost lead-instrument sensibility to the bandstand. If he occasionally becomes just a bit bombastic, one easily forgives that in view of his huge chops and rhythmic brilliance. Bassist Vicente Archer, another young lion of huge presence, brings both a plenary knowledge of the tradition wedded to a strikingly modern conception. Together with Glasper, they manage to be both absolutely in sync even as they go their own way exploring interesting rhythmic, harmonic, and coloristic byways.



Indeed, the utter virtuosity of this disc almost gets in the way of a full appreciation of it: one is so bowled over, one misses the extreme musicality and casually glorious invention. If it were just mere virtuosity, it would soon wear thin. Instead, the more one listens, the more it reveals its huge musicality, lightly worn.



Mighty fine."

Another solid outing from an important emerging talent

James Lamperetta | Upstate, NY | 03/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With the release of his second Blue Note date "In My Element," there are no signs whatsoever that pianist Robert Glasper is succumbing to the dreaded sophomore slump.

Following on the heels of his '05 release "Canvas," which featured guest spots by saxophonist Mark Turner and vocalist Bilal, the new disc spotlights the pianist exclusively in the company of his trio- bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Damon Reid.

Glasper is an assured and articulate instrumentalist who continues to emphasize "tunes" over "technique." The title of the new disc could easily be construed to be his mantra as the pianist sounds entirely in his element as he once again richly mines the crossroad where jazz glances back while still charging ahead.

Obviously schooled in the tradition, the 27 year-old is very much a modernist, boldly shading his own fertile compositions with elements of gospel and even hip-hop. One unabashedly modern spin comes courtesy of numerous fade-ins and subsequent fade-outs which bookend interludes that are found at the end of tunes throughout the disc. This production technique is popular in hip-hop music, however here Glasper uses it as an extension of the improvisation process. "Most of them are little snippets we made up in the studio," he explains. "One or two of them are actually parts of songs that I borrowed from and used. I didn't really map out the album in advance- I recorded a bunch of interludes and then listened to see what would flow best. I figured the more organic the better."

Even more telling examples of this new post-modern-traditionalism are to be found in his interpretations of tunes by jazz legends. His bold reworking of Sam Rivers' "Beatrice" glides along propelled by Reid's brushes then his assured cymbal work. Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" is partnered with Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place." Here the latter tune takes on a tone of prophecy as it exemplifies that in this new millennium contemporary alternative rock and jazz not only can- but do- go together in the right hands and when everything is in its right place.

Elsewhere Glasper pays homage to fellow pianist and mentor Mulgrew Miller with the gorgeous ballad "One For `Grew." The interlude preceding this tune finds the pianist working with an answering machine message of his goddaughter singing that he has set to music.

"Tribute" and "J Dillalude" are both remembrances of people close to the pianist that are no longer here. The former features the powerful speaking voice of Reverend Joe Ratliff eulogizing Glasper's mother while the latter is assembled from various performance tapes of the trio and is a tip-of-the-cap to hip-hop pioneer/producer J Dilla.

In a field crowded with the "next big thing," Glasper makes a compelling case that he is clearly one of the next-generation of jazz musicians worthy of the hype."

A great bridge between jazz and hip hop

clevagirl1922 | Southern California | 04/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am new to Robert Glasper's work having heard of him for the first time on NPR but I ran out and purchased both Canvas and In My Element and I must say I'm quite pleased. I grew up primarily on hip hop and r&b but really "discovered" jazz in graduate school. I really love how Glasper merges jazz and hip hop on In My Element. His piano playing is brillant and is aided by great playing on the bass and drums. My favorites are F.T.B., Of Dreams to Come and Maiden Voyage. Of course, being a hip hop head, I appreciated the JDillalude as well. I definitely think that Glasper can bring hip hop fans to jazz with this album moreso than he can with Canvas."