Robert Glasper returns with Double-Booked; to be released Aug. 15 on Blue Note Records

GLASPER TO TOUR WITH MAXWELL THIS SUMMER

(PRESS RELEASE) Pianist Robert Glasper presents both sides of his musical persona with Double-Booked, his third album for Blue Note Records, which will be released on August 25. The album bridges Glasper’s parallel careers as the leader of an acclaimed jazz trio and a first-call sideman with hip-hop artists such as Mos Def, Q Tip and The Roots. Moving nimbly from the acoustic Robert Glasper Trio to the hip-hop fusion Robert Glasper Experiment, the young keyboardist puts his versatility front and center. Special guests on the album include vocalist Bilal and a cameo appearance from rapper Mos Def.

Glasper will also be touring this summer as a member of R&B singer Maxwell’s band. Maxwell kicks off his 2009 North American tour on June 17. More information about tour dates can be found here.

Glasper impressed critics and audiences alike when he burst onto the Jazz scene with his first two Blue Note albums, Canvas (2005) and In My Element (2007). Check out what the critics have been saying:

“Up-and-coming jazz pianists are hardly under-represented in New York City, but few are generating as much buzz as Glasper, who has wowed audiences with his improvisational creativity and technical skill.”

—TIME

“Like many of today’s young jazz pianists, Robert Glasper speaks hip-hop, bebop, classical and pop... accessible melodies, tumultuous beats and bright lyricism tend to recall modern jazz icons like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea.”

—PEOPLE

“[Glasper] shows why cats from Mos Def to Roy Hargrove have sought him out—proving that subtlety and soul are natural allies.”

—VIBE

“Glasper unfailingly gets the feeling right. His music is guided by an elegant evocation of the emotion in the song... direct, forceful, inventive, and accessible without pandering.”

—NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“[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.”

—THE NEW YORK TIMES