Chris Dave & The Drumhedz Live at the Highline Ballroom
When looking at the stage at Manhattan’s Highline Ballroom, you can see Chris “Daddy” Dave’s drum kit shining from a distance. There are only two people on Earth that can be identified simply by observing the drum kit and nothing else: one is Neil Peart of Rush, and the other is Dave. His kit was more of a rhythm laboratory, adorned with four snares, a hi-hat with holes covered with a tambourine, spiraled crashes, bongos and a suspended floor tom.
Derrick Hodge’s Blue Note Solo Debut Announced!
Derrick Hodge — one of the preeminent bassists, composers, and artists of our time — has officially announced a release date for his solo debut on Blue Note Records entitled Live Today. On August 6, 2013 Hodge will release the fruits of his recording sessions featuring special guests Common, Robert Glasper, Alan Hampton, and more!
Hans Schuman Preserves & Accelerates with JazzReach
As Founder and Executive-Artistic Director of JazzReach, Hans Schuman has been the man behind educational programs in over 75 communities since the organization’s inception. Dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and teaching of jazz music by way of “widely acclaimed live multi-media educational programs for young audiences, captivating main-stage concerts for general audiences and informative clinics and master-classes for student musicians and ensembles,” JazzReach has become a staple of the jazz community supported by both fans and artists alike. This Sunday 4/14/13, Chris Dave and the Drumhedz will be performing a benefit concert for JazzReach at the Highline Ballroom. Check out more about the concert and cause below as we discuss with Schuman.
Eddie Moore & the Outer Circle’s The Freedom of Expression
The Houston scene strikes again, this time from the likes of Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle with their debut record, The Freedom of Expression. Raised in the church scene with likes of Chris Dave and Robert Glasper, Moore is a lifelong musician traversing a number bands and styles before going back to school to get a master’s in jazz composition. The new project reflects this background with a great context of musicians including Moore on keys, Matt Leifer on drums, Dominique Sanders on bass, and Matt Hopper on guitar among some other guests.
Premiere: Chris Dave’s “Cosmic Slop”
Chris Dave’s ‘Drumheadz Mixtape’ is dropping tomorrow and we’ve got an early listen to “Cosmic Slop” off the record. A cover of a rare Dilla beat (only 40 seconds), the track is a favorite of Dave’s as well as Pino Palladino. Check out the track and a quick interview we got with Chris!
Derrick Hodge: Living Today
I think that’s the one thing that’s essential in our records that we’re putting out now. It’s got to definitely sound a certain kind of way. It can’t sound like we tried to skimp on mixing or mastering. The studio has to sound up to speed with anything else a person puts on the radio. That’s the audience we want. We want it to be heard by as many people as possible. It can’t sound like they have to sit and think about whether they like it or not.
Chris Dave, Pino Palladino, & Robert Glasper Hit Harlem
In a special one-night, RSVP-only event, Robert Glasper, Pino Palladino, and Chris “Daddy” Dave will be taking it down together at Ginny’s Supper Club at the Red Rooster in Harlem this Thursday 8/16/12.
D’Angelo’s Blazing BET Awards Show Performance
Possibly the best moment of the 2012 BET Awards show was the return of D’Angelo in televised form for the first time in 12 years. Kicking off his return with “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” D’Angelo went through a medley of sorts hitting on “Sugar Daddy” and others as they kept jamming. As always D is sporting an all-star band consisting of what seems to look/sound like Pino Palladino, Jesse Johnson, Ray Angry, and Chris Dave for sure along with a few others.
The Robert Glasper Experiment x Jimmy Fallon
Check out the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show from last night as the Robert Glasper Experiment performs its cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” off of their highly acclaimed new album Black Radio which features a slew of amazing special guests (Lalah Hathaway, Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey, Lupe Fiasco, KING, Bilal, Meshell Ndegeocell, Ledisi, and more) as well as a number of both original compositions and covers.
Secret Show: The Robert Glasper Experiment in Brooklyn 6/22
The Robert Glasper Experiment are playing a last-minute secret show in Brooklyn. It looks like bassist, songwriter, and overall amazing artist Alan Hampton will be opening for them. Cop your tickets now!
Video: Chris Dave X FELA
Revolutionary drummer Chris “Daddy” Dave has done it again, having now released a video of his incredible drum accompaniment to Fela Kuti’s “Zombie”.
The Robert Glasper Experiment Black Radio
Jazz purists may be taken aback, but Glasper’s vision of melding the worlds of hip-hop, soul, and jazz is a thoughtful take on an idea that has been explored ad nauseum. Black Radio is Glasper’s vision of what the airwaves could sound like – a mixtape of sorts – that may not reignite a new movement to overtake popular radio as we know it today, but it’s a concept that should be applauded for a group of artists who believe in chops over charts.
NPR First Listen: RCDC’s Black Radio
Get excited for NPR’s First Listen of The Robert Glasper Experiment’s Black Radio. We’ve been waiting for a couple months to share this exciting piece of musical history with audiences around the world. From a track-by track analysis done by Glasper himself to frequent news updates, nothing beats the day you get to listen to the album in its entirety. Take 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 7 seconds (three times through if you have enough time) of your holiday Monday to give the album an listen-through.
Congrats Grammy Winners!
Congrats to all of the winners from this past weekend’s Grammy Awards. There were many musicians involved with many of the winning projects that didn’t get as much shine. Big shout outs to Chris Dave, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, and Matt Sweeney for their work on Adele’s 21.
José James: Unlocking the Code
I think it’s just different with jazz. Once you decide you’re going to do jazz, you realize it’s going to take you your whole life to do anything original and to get to a level that’s anywhere close to Ella, or Miles or any of these people, stylistically. I think anybody who thinks they’re, like, soaking in right away, is just not going to last long in jazz. It’s a whole different mindset. I wasn’t thinking about making a record, because I didn’t have anything original to say. I just wanted to learn the standards, and that takes years of practice and jam sessions and buying real books and trying to figure out what people are doing. It’s like trying to unlock a code.
Jose James No Beginning, No End
he consistently busy Jose James has announced the lineup for his upcoming album No Beginning, No End and to say it’s intriguing would be an understatement. With the likes of Robert Glasper, Kris Bowers, Pino Palladino, Chris Dave, Richard Spaven, Emily King, and more.
RCDC ft. Musiq Soulchild & Chrisette Michelle “Ah Yeah”
The countdown to the release of Black Radio has begun with tracks featuring the Robert Glasper Experiment in collaboration with KING, Erykah Badu, Musiq Soulchild, and Chrisette Michelle having been released thus far. The only reprieve to the fact that we have to wait until February for the full release is the constant stream of not only music, but artwork coming out of the creation process. Check out the latest gem, a lyric video to accompany “Ah Yeah” which features RCDC in collaboration with Musiq Soulchild and Chrisette Michelle. Peep the video and grab a copy of the Robert Glasper Experiment’s Black Radio due out February 28th, 2012.
The Revivalist | Friday Round Up!
This week we were lucky enough to chat with the living legend George Duke, dive into the story of 4hero, and review some great albums from Thundercat and The Meters. Here’s your Friday Round Up!
(Free Mixtape Download) Chris Dave & Stimulus – ’3rd 1st Impression’
Drummer extraordinaire Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave has become a staple on The Revivalist for his Tony Allen meets J Dilla sound. Always pushing the sounds of soul, hip-hop, and jazz, Dave recently teamed up with emcee/DJ Stimulus for a collaborative mixtape 3rd 1st Impression, which is out now as a free download.
Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave & Stimulus Collaborate on Mix-tape Out September 12th, Free MP3 Download
Our friends over at Okayplayer just premiered the news that Stimulus & Chris Dave have joined forces and are set to release a collaborative mix-tape 3rd 1st Impression for free on September 12th. The mix-tape is produced entirely by Chris Dave and features guest spots from Bilal, Renee Neufville, Stokley (of Mint Condition), Casey Benjamin, and Screechy Dan.
Robert Glasper Exclusive Interview
Be honest, because I hate when I hear people doing some Dilla shit or some hip-hop shit when you can tell they really don’t like it. Then it just sounds pretentious. If everybody could just be honest and be themselves, I think we’d have better music, when people stop trying to sound like each other.
Lupe, Mos Def, Kanye West with The Robert Glasper Experiment
Last Saturday night (2/26/11) The Robert Glasper Experiment took to the stage with guest vocalist Lupe Fiasco in a monumental collaboration mixing the jazz and hip-hop realms. Different on this night though, were the other guest vocalists who arrived later in the show, Mos Def and Kanye West.
Moonlighting In The Studio: The Musicians Behind The Songs
Behind every pop star is a team of talented musicians who bring the music to life. To shine some light on all the musicians who play on the tracks you love, we here at The Revivalist have put together a little guide to some of our favorite jazz musicians who also moonlight as studio and live musicians for some of hip-hop and R&B’s royalty.
Video: Chris Dave Interview/Live Footage with Vater
Chris Dave recently talked with Vater Percussions to chop it up about his favorite sticks, why he has a fetish for snare drums and his upcoming live DVD/album project. Chris also let the Vater crew film him at a recent show
