Twenty-five years! Not many labels can say that, especially in music that isn’t a top genre.

Celebrating 25 years of empowering boundary-breaking music, creative independence, and cultural connection, the Ropeadope label continues to champion artists and reimagine what a music company can be. 🎶 #Ropeadope25 #IndependentMusic

Explore their collection of recordings and merch at ropeadope.com/store and use code Rad25 as a special thank you.

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The Chicago Experiment is the next in a series of the Ropeadope’s Experiment series. The label says that “at a time when communities are physically disconnected, and even history is being disrupted by a global pandemic and restricted travel, Ropeadope returns to the series to highlight the musical legacy of cities around the globe.”  Previous projects featured Philadelphia, Detroit, and Harlem. The Chicago Experiment was born of collaborations organized by Greg Spero (Spirit Fingers) and his hometown friends Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross, Irvin Pierce, Jeff Parker, and Darryl Jones.

The Chicago Experiment embodies the spirit of contemporary jazz. This is the essence of jazz blending with a modern feel and incorporating other musical styles to create something unique. Listen to some of it now and watch for it on Jan. 28.

David Benoit leads a 12-piece big band including Eric Marienthal on his new recording A Midnight Rendezvous – out Feb. 18.

Robert Glasper returns with Black Radio 3 on Feb. 25. He’s gathered some amazing talent to help get his musical vision to come to life. Check out the performance of “In Tune / Black Superhero” with the Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rapsody, BJ the Chicago Kid, and a powerful Amir Sulaiman from The Tonight Show.

The post Upcoming Jazz Releases – Robert Glasper, David Benoit, The Chicago Experiment appeared first on ContemporaryJazz.com.

“You might be wondering what a soul singer from England has to do with a song dedicated to Harlem – but that’s the point. Producer Aaron Levinson cites Hunter as being one of the few musicians singing “classic” soul today and says, “I can hear Harlem in Hunter’s voice.” The result speaks for itself, as James pays respect to soul forefathers with his captivating vocals and old Martin guitar. It’s all part of the experiment.”

I also learned from the press release that one of Hunter’s biggest and earliest fans is Van Morrison. Fans of Van the Man are in for a treat on November 6 when his first ever, cross-label career spanning collection, Still On Top – The Greatest Hits is released. It’s worth mentioning because greatest hits compilations that cover an artist’s entire career, across labels, is rare. On this collection, there are 21 songs from the Decca, Bang, Warner Bros. and Polydor labels. Songs like “Gloria,” “Moondance,” “Domino,” Someone Like You,” “Have I Told You Lately,” “Days Like This,” and “Wild Night” are on there. It covers music from 1964 to 2005 and styles ranging from jazz to rock to soul to hip hop (just kidding about the latter). It’s been recently reaffirmed that Van’s music is good for your love life, making an already enticing CD a must-have.

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