Blue Note Signs Pianist Robert Glasper

We’ve been waiting five years to write this:
This Is a JazzTimes.com Exclusive!

Blue Note has signed pianist Robert Glasper!

“Who?” you might ask. Well, read on, Dot-Commer.

Because we can’t say it any better ourselves—and we wholly agree that Glasper is one of the brightest young talents in jazz—here’s the announcement directly from Blue Note:

Blue Note Records has signed pianist Robert Glasper, marking the label’s first new jazz artist signing in five years, and reaffirming their 66-year tradition of moving the music forward, a notable occurrence in a jazz industry that has otherwise seen the major labels recently whittle away at the instrumentalists on their jazz rosters, or dissolve those rosters altogether. Glasper will be entering the studio in May to record his major label debut, which will likely be released this fall.

“I feel that Robert Glasper has an emerging originality as both a pianist and a composer,” says Blue Note CEO & President Bruce Lundvall, shown above with Glasper. “He has his own voice, and is one of most exciting younger musicians I’ve heard in some time.”

Glasper, 26, was raised in Houston, Texas. His mother, who played piano and sang gospel and blues, imparted her musical influence early on, and Glasper was soon accompanying her on piano in church, as well as in the jazz and blues clubs around town. After attending the Houston High School for the Performing Arts, he moved to New York City to study at the New School University. Since moving to New York, Glasper has become an important member of the jazz, R&B and hip-hop communities, working with such musicians as Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Carmen Lundy, Q-Tip, Bilal, Mos Def and Meshell Ndegeocello.

In a July 2005 concert review in the New York Times, Ben Ratliff wrote that “[Glasper’s] trio deserves comparison with the best of the newer piano trios, those led by Jason Moran, Bill Charlap and Brad Mehldau…his group has its own crisp, skittering cooperation, with hip-hop in its bounce. There was a daredevil aspect to the set as well, giving it urgency. He stretched each piece of music from the start, without losing the audience’s concentration.”

For more info, check out his Web site: www.robertglasper.com

Originally Published March 7, 2005