A recent New York Times headline challenged the canonical placement of pianist Robert Glasper’s new album, Black Radio, by posing the question: “So is it jazz?” Although writer Nate Chinen never came up with a definitive answer, he showed that the question itself was pretty reductive. Glasper argued, diplomatically, that just because his music veers into other styles (namely gospel, hip-hop, and R&B), doesn’t mean it can’t have a strong foothold in the jazz tradition. But I’d put it more bluntly: If you don’t hear the jazz in Black Radio, you’re not listening.
- MikeSchreiber
- Robert Glasper