Robert Glasper Experiment

Robert Glasper Experiment

Robert Glasper Experiment is a United States nu jazz group active since 2007 and led by Robert Glasper. The project is closely associated with Glasper’s work across jazz, hip-hop and R&B, and it draws together players who move between those styles.

Membership and line-up

The group features Robert Glasper on piano and Fender Rhodes. Its core line-up also includes Casey Benjamin on saxophone and vocoder, Derrick Hodge on bass, and drummers including Mark Colenburg and Chris Dave, depending on the recording or performance. Benjamin dies in 2024.

Style and recordings

The Experiment’s music combines jazz with hip-hop, soul, R&B and rock influences. Its best-known album is Black Radio, which presents original material alongside reworked versions of songs such as “Afro Blue”, Sade’s “Cherish the Day”, David Bowie’s “Letter to Hermione” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. The album also includes collaborative tracks with artists such as Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, Musiq Soulchild, Chrisette Michele, Meshell Ndegeocello, Stokley Williams, Shafiq Husayn, KING and yasiin bey.

Robert Glasper’s wider work

Glasper also works with Q-Tip, playing keyboards on The Renaissance and co-writing the single “Life Is Better”, which features Norah Jones. He serves as music director in Yasiin Bey’s touring band and tours with Maxwell. Before Black Radio, Glasper records with his acoustic trio on Blue Note, including Canvas and In My Element, and the later album Double-Booked divides between trio and Experiment material. His first Grammy nomination comes through “All Matter”, a collaboration with Bilal, in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category.