2022 · Album
Black Radio III
Loma Vista Recordings · Released: February 25, 2022 · Producers: Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Bryan-Michael Cox, Jahi Sundance
Glasper Returns to the Radio Dial
Black Radio 3 picks up where its predecessors left off, mixing jazz with contemporary voices.
Almost a decade after Black Radio 2 (2013), Robert Glasper is back with the third installment of his Black Radio series. This one landed in February 2022 on Loma Vista Recordings, and it's worth asking: does the world need another Black Radio album? The answer is yes, but maybe not for the reasons you'd expect.
Glasper assembled a serious team for this one. He produced it himself alongside Terrace Martin, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jahi Sundance, with Qmillion handling the mix. That's a lot of hands on the wheel, which sometimes dilutes things, but here it mostly works. The album does what the series has always done — bridge jazz piano with hip-hop, R&B, and spoken word. If you haven't heard the first two entries, Black Radio 3 won't feel like a radical departure. It's more of the same formula that made those earlier records appealing to people who might not normally listen to jazz albums. That's both its strength and its limitation.
Where to place this in Glasper's catalog? It's solid work, competent and ambitious in its collaborations, but not essential in the way his earlier piano trio stuff could be. If you loved the first Black Radio albums, you'll find plenty here to like. If you've never heard Glasper and you're curious about him, start with his pure jazz records first — the ones where it's just him and a rhythm section, no guest features. Those show what he actually does best. Black Radio 3 is for committed fans who want to hear him keep exploring the same creative territory he's been mining for over a decade now.
Who's playing
Derrick Hodgebass
Marcus Stricklandbass clarinet
Burniss Earl Travis IIbass
Isaiah Sharkeyguitar
Terrace Martinsaxophone
Keyon Harroldtrumpet
Chris Davedrums
Robert Glasperkeyboard
DJ Jazzy Jeffturntable
Jahi Sundanceturntable
Justin Tysonkeyboard
