Recommended outdoor listening for this weekend: A live album from the incandescent musician/vocalist Bilal featuring keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Burniss Travis and drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson as well as Common. This was captured Live at Glasshaus in Brooklyn in front of an audience of 100; one highlight involves Questlove telling stories about the period when he and the Soulquarians were making Common’s Like Water For Chocolate.
Bilal’s career arc has not been a straight line — his last studio release was in 2015 — but his knack for teasing out the emotional nuances of a melody has, incredibly, grown over time. Check it!
