ROBERT GLASPER’S “BLACK RADIO” DEBUTS AT #15 ON THE BILLBOARD TOP 200
GLASPER TO PERFORM WITH LEDISI ON NBC TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO;
ANNOUNCES SXSW OFFICIAL SHOWCASE; NAMED CENTRIC SELECTS ARTIST
Robert Glasper has earned the first-ever Billboard Top 200 chart debut of his career with the impressive first-week showing of his widely acclaimed new album Black Radio, his fourth album for EMI’s Blue Note Records which was released on February 28.
The album lands at #15 this week on the Top 200 chart””and #10 on the Top Current Albums chart””with sales of 20,854 units. Black Radio reached #3 on the overall iTunes Music Store in the U.S. , and remains #1 on the iTunes Jazz charts in 9 countries including the U. S. , U. K. , France, Australia, and Japan.
The release week buzz on Black Radio was fueled by a stand-out performance of “Always Shine” with Lupe Fiasco and Bilal on CBS Late Show With David Letterman, a Sunday Arts & Leisure feature in The New York Times, and an interview segment on NPR All Things Considered, as well as numerous rave reviews. Robert Glasper Experiment also played two sold-out shows at the Highline Ballroom in New York City featuring many of the album’s special guests. “Robert is an amazing artist and he’s recorded a masterpiece,” said Don Was, President of Blue Note Records.
“This week’s results affirm our Blue Note philosophy: enable the creation of uncompromisingly great music, entrust it to a fine-tuned marketing/sales team and the listeners will respond accordingly. I’m very optimistic about the future of our business. ” Glasper is set to perform “Gonna Be Alright (F. T. B. )” with singer Ledisi on NBC Tonight Show With Jay Lenoon March 19.
Glasper will also make his SXSW debut with an official showcase at The Elephant Room at 10:30pm on March 15. See below for a full list of upcoming tour dates. BET’s music and entertainment channel Centric has named Glasper to its prestigious Centric Selectsprogram, which recognizes top emerging artists in the R&genre.
For more information, please visitwww.centrictv.com.
Black Radio boldly stakes out new musical territory and transcends any notion of genre, drawing from jazz, hip-hop, R&B, soul and rock, but refusing to be pinned down by any one tag. The album showcases Glasper as a multi-talented producer, songwriter, keyboardist, and bandleader, and features many of his famous friends from across the spectrum of Black music, seamlessly incorporating appearances from a jaw-dropping roll call of special guests that includes Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway, Shafiq Husayn (Sa-Ra),KING, Ledisi, Meshell Ndegeocello, Chrisette Michele, Musiq Soulchild, Stokley Williams (Mint Condition), and yasiin bey.
CHECK OUT WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE BEEN SAYING: “Glasper and his fellow Experiment musicians are all firmly rooted in traditional jazz, but they don’t let genre restrictions cramp them.
. . Double Booked was split between standards and hip-hop.
The eclectic Black Radioincorporates both with R&B, gospel and funk to create an exhilarating experience. . .
Glasper succeeds in making accessible, authentic music that is far removed from the disposable music that dominates black radio today. “”” USA Today “Mr. Glasper is reinventing jazz using a textured approach that artfully blends new and old-school vibes”¦ a hypnotic suite of street and sophisticate.
“”” Wall Street Journal “Anchored by Glasper’s masterful, hypnotic work on piano and Rhodes, and filled with cameos by the likes of Bilal, Lalah Hathaway, Yasiin Bey (a. k. a.
Mos Def), Lupe Fiasco and more, it’s a sensuous and smoky affair. “””Los Angeles Times
“Glasper has put together a stunning lineup of figures from the boho end of hip-hop and neo-soul… a gorgeous set of plush soft-jazzy soul numbers, with Glasper’s piano and Rhodes trailing elegantly and unshowily around the margins.” New York Magazine
“The groove is the thing on the latest from this soul-steeped jazz pianist.” Entertainment Weekly
“¦an impressive swirl of funk, hip-hop, R&B, soul, and of course jazz.” Complex
“Ultra-smooth yet subtly experimental, Glasper blends burbling electronics and virtuosic acoustics with hypnotic results”¦ If only black” or white” radio radio were truly as forward thinking as Glasper’s creamy collection. ” RELIX “Robert Glasper proves why he’s a multitalent to be reckoned with on his brilliant fourth album, Black Radio. While his roots are definitely in jazz, the keyboardist/producer/songwriter/bandleader knows no boundaries, deftly incorporating hip-hop, R&and rock into a fresh sound that never comes off as trite or forced”¦ There’s no stopping Glasper, and thank goodness for that.
BILLBOARD ” “¦one of the only pianists shortlisted by rappers and jazz cats alike. . .
Black Radio reads like a statement of purpose that leaves no doubt about the intriguing possibilities that can unfold when interweaving jazz and hip-hop. . .
The beats, song structure and guest vocalists tend toward contemporary R&B. But underneath the catchy hooks and harmonies is the understated yet persistent presence of Glasper’s piano infusing each song with unexpected chord voicings. .
. Those who tend to find jazz inaccessible or hip-hop too repetitive should take a listen to Black Radio. This is an experiment that really works.
“””Washington Post “a seamless, deeply focused meld of jazz, hip-hop, adult contemporary R&B, neo-soul, even rock, with an expansive use of rhythmic and melodic invention; all of it surrounded by spacious, natural-sounding production that’s smooth, never slick. . .
Black Radio creates an entirely new context for popular music in its near erasure of boundaries. It is the sound of the future ““ even if no one knows it yet. “””AllMusic
ROBERT GLASPER ““ 2012 TOUR DATES:
March 8, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH (Robert Glasper Experiment)
March 9, Charles H. Wright Museum, Detroit, MI (Robert Glasper Experiment)
March 10, Double Door, Chicago, IL (Robert Glasper Experiment)
March 11, Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN (Robert Glasper Experiment)
March 15, SXSW Official Showcase @ Elephant Room, Austin, TX (Robert Glasper Experiment)
March 17, The New Parish, Oakland, CA (Robert Glasper Experiment with Bilal)
March 18, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, CA (Robert Glasper Experiment with Bilal)
March 19, NBC Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Los Angeles, CA (Robert Glasper Experiment with Ledisi)
March 20, Anthology, San Diego, CA (Robert Glasper Experiment with Bilal)
March 22, The Exchange, Los Angeles, CA (Robert Glasper Experiment with Bilal)
March 23, Neumos, Seattle, WA (Robert Glasper Experiment with Bilal)
March 30, Casbah Durham @ Duke Performances, Durham, NC (Robert Glasper Trio)
March 31, Casbah Durham @ Duke Performances, Durham, NC (Robert Glasper Trio)
April 3, Warner Theatre, Washington, DC (Robert Glasper Experiment)
