Code Derivation Robert Glasper Experiment

• 1 Soundcheck One 00:23
• 2 Say Less 05:19
• 3 Say Less (Flipped by Riley Glasper) 02:19
• 4 Wake Up 02:59
• 5 Wake Up (Flipped by MMYYKK) 03:08
• 6 Madiba 10:34
• 7 Madiba (Flipped by Hi-Tek) 02:54
• 8 AJ’s Vibe 06:15
• 9 AJ’s Vibe (Flipped by Black Milk) 03:02
• 10 Waiting on Arrival 04:46
• 11 Waiting on Arrival (Flipped by Taylor McFerrin) 02:48
• 12 Rm 112 09:01
• 13 Rm 112 (Flipped by Karriem Riggins) 02:45
• 14 Soundcheck Two 00:29
• 15 M&M March (Flipped by Riley Glasper) 01:06
• Total Runtime 57:48

Info for Code Derivation

Today five-time Grammy award-winning pianist and composer Robert Glasper releases his second project of 2024, the Apple Music exclusive Code Derivation. On his latest album, Glasper splits the difference between jazz and hip-hop, emphasizing their shared genetics. Code Derivation is largely comprised of two versions of the same track, one played live in studio by Glasper’s band and a version “flipped” by a producer of his choosing.

“Jazz is literally in the beginning-bones of hip hop,” Glasper tells Apple Music. “That’s why I even used the word derivation, because it’s a derivative of jazz. I’ve played with the masters of both of these genres so I wanted to do a project where it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m going to do jazz songs that I wrote with my band—with my friends—and I’m going to get dope producers that are my friends to sample me.’”

On the band side of things, that includes names like Walter Smith III, Mike Moreno, Kendrick Scott, Vicente Archer and Keyon Harrold, with an additional feature from Marcus Strickland. On the production side, Glasper has called on some of his likewise favorite friends and collaborators, people like Hi-Tek, Black Milk, Taylor McFerrin, Kareem Riggins, and the one guest Glasper would be hard pressed to deny as his favorite of the bunch, his son Riley. On the MC front, Glasper’s called on acts like Beaumont, Texas-hailing Jamari (a frequent collaborator of his son), Minneapolis’ MMYYKK, and Brooklyn-born Oswin Benjamin, young rhymers who Glasper says became the project’s pièce de résistance.

To kick off the album launch, Glasper chatted with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 this morning, where they discussed the art of clearing samples, connecting with the right fans, and why he wanted to make this record illustrate the obvious connection between jazz and hip-hop. Zane Lowe adds, “Code Derivation; we’ve had such a good time between Let Go and this album, working closely with you here at Apple Music….we love the relationship we’ve built up over time and are grateful for the fact that you trust us to do what we do with this music.” You can listen to the full interview HERE and watch HERE

This weekend, Glasper will join Blue Note Entertainment Group and Black Radio Productions as Artist in Residence at The Black Radio Experience at The Meritage Resort & Spa in Napa Valley, CA. Inspired by Glasper’s annual Robtober residency at the Blue Note in NYC, The Black Radio Experience is an immersive journey into the soul of music, transcending boundaries and celebrating the rich tapestry of Black culture. Headliners across the 3 day weekend event include John Legend, Jill Scott and Andre 3000, and performances by Andra Day, Common, Nile Rodgers, Ledisi, Terrace Martin and more including daily performances from Glasper himself.

Robert Glasper, keyboards
Vicente Archer, bass
Kendrick Scott, drums
Walter Smith III, tenor saxophone
Keyon Harrold, trumpet
Michael Moreno, guitar
DJ Jahi Sundance, turntables (tracks 6, 7)
Jamari, vocals (track 3)
Oswin Benjamin, vocals (track 7)

Robert Glasper
has long kept one foot planted firmly in jazz and the other in hip-hop and R&B. He’s worked extensively with Q-Tip, playing keyboards on the rapper’s 2008 album The Renaissance and co-writing the album single “Life Is Better” which featured his label mate Norah Jones. Glasper also serves as the music director in yasiin bey’s touring band, and has toured with the multi-platinum R&B singer Maxwell.

The Los Angeles Times once wrote that “it's a short list of jazz pianists who have the wherewithal to drop a J Dilla reference into a Thelonious Monk cover, but not many jazz pianists are Robert Glasper,” adding that “he's equally comfortable in the worlds of hip-hop and jazz,” and praising the organic way in which he “builds a bridge between his two musical touchstones.”

Glasper drove that point home with his last album, 2009’s Double-Booked, which was split neatly in half. The first part featured his acoustic Trio, which had gathered a great deal of acclaim in the jazz world and beyond over the course of two previous Blue Note albums (2005’s Canvas and 2007’s In My Element). The second part featured his electric Experiment band and hinted at things to come, even earning the keyboardist his first GRAMMY nomination for “All Matter,” a collaboration with the singer Bilal that was among the contenders in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category in 2010.

With Black Radio, the Experiment band has fully arrived. Featuring Glasper on piano and Fender Rhodes, Casey Benjamin on vocoder and saxophone, Derrick Hodge on electric bass, and Chris Dave on drums, the band is plugged in and open source. Each of the band members is prodigiously talented and lives naturally in multiple musical worlds, distilling countless influences into a singular voice. “That’s what makes this band unique,” says Glasper. “We can go anywhere, literally anywhere, we want to go. We all have musical ADD and we love it.”

Black Radio also features many of Glasper’s famous friends from across the spectrum of urban music, seamlessly incorporating appearances from a jaw-dropping roll call of special guests including Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway, Shafiq Husayn (Sa-Ra), KING, Ledisi, Chrisette Michele, Musiq Soulchild, Meshell Ndegeocello, Stokley Williams (Mint Condition), and yasiin bey.

This album contains no booklet.