The Robert Glasper Experiment represents a pivotal shift in 21st-century jazz, acting as the primary bridge between the traditional Blue Note lineage and the modern aesthetics of hip-hop and neo-soul. Formed by pianist Robert Glasper, the group - consisting of Casey Benjamin, Derrick Hodge, and Mark Colenburg - moved away from the acoustic trio format to embrace a fully electric, genre-fluid sound.
Their 2012 album 'Black Radio' was a cultural landmark, winning the Grammy for Best R&B Album and signaling a new era where jazz musicians could lead the conversation in popular Black music. The band's sound identity is defined by Glasper's 'lay-back' piano style, Benjamin's signature vocoder-processed saxophone, and a rhythm section that emulates the quantized yet soulful feel of MPC-based production. Critically, they are seen as the architects of the 'nu jazz' movement that paved the way for artists like Kamasi Washington and Terrace Martin, successfully reclaiming jazz's place as a vibrant, evolving social music rather than a museum piece.
Shares soulful, nu jazz, neo-soul, jazz fusion (signature)
Shares nu jazz, jazz fusion, saxophone, soulful (signature)
Shares nu jazz, neo-soul, jazz fusion, soulful (signature)
Shares nu jazz, neo-soul, jazz fusion, soulful (signature)
Shares nu jazz, neo-soul, saxophone, soulful (signature)
Shares soulful, nu jazz, saxophone, coffee_shop (signature)
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