Robert Glasper Experiment with Q-Tip @ Highline Ballroom//12.17.07

Considering A Tribe Called Quest and jazz go hand in hand, who wouldn’t be curious to hear what Blue Note painist Robert Glasper and Q-Tip would brew up.  Robert Glasper took the stage close to 11:00 with Casey Benjamin on sax and vocorder, Derrick Hodge on bass, and drummer Chris Dave.  Together, forming the Robert Glasper Experiment, they opened with a fairly prolonged bass solo eventually breaking into free jazz.  They would mesh well at times but it was lacking that solid groove he has on record.

That all changed as Q-Tip was introduced who had great stage chemistry with the band and especially friend Robert Glasper.  The band held down tight rhythms and beats for Tip to flow over with everything from Tribe songs to freestyles.  Benjamin added to a fantastic version of ‘Find A Way,’ singing Dilla’s ’Technova’ sample through the vocoder and the band sounded incredible reworking ‘Electric Relaxation.’  After a few more, he started spitting off the top of his head asking “Is BK emcee in the house?  Is Boogie Man in the house?” bringing out Mos Def which finally brought the table seated audience to its feet.  Throughout the night Mos would jump back and forth from the stage to his table, joining his Black Radio crew on some New Danger jazzy blues type music.  At points it was Tip and Mos just passing the mic back and forth with the band holding it down in the back.  Glasper didn’t stop there, eventually introducing former New School classmate Bilal to perform ‘Reminisce.’  As the show closed out Glasper said he hopes to have more of these types of shows again in New York and came out for a Christmas encore of ‘Green Sleeves.’