Social media friend “Bart” — I’ll leave it at that since I don’t know how much he wants y’all to know about his kind and generous self — hit me with a Bilal vocal performance video that features Questlove playing drums, Robert Glasper on piano, and Burniss Travis keeping the pocket fresh with bass duties. The performance took place in December 2023 at Brooklyn’s Glasshaus.
You should spend more time pouring yourself into the video than reading my thoughts, but I want to stress through my lived example that you should praise these still-evolving artists when and while you can.
I remember seeing almost all of these performers years ago in Brooklyn or Tribeca nightspots for bupkis.
Since then, their fame has risen faster than the asking price of Hubert Street lofts.
Last night, my misjudged planning prevented me from catching Glasper’s sold-out sets at the Blue Note. 15 years ago, I could roll-up to the old Jazz Gallery in Tribeca — 30 minutes before showtime — and sit within ten feet of Glasper and positioned even closer to an “honor wine jug” that took the place of a bar. People were trusted to pour themselves a drink and leave whatever money their “honor” told them was peace.
Instead, I watched “Orlando” at the Signature Theatre — not exactly a substitute, but a very satisfying choice.
In the video, Bilal revisits “Something To Hold On To” from his elusive 2003 Love for Sale album — an element of the Indie-Soul LP canon at this point. The crew’s approach is reliably flavorful, with Bilal’s aeaeae noir vocals lighting the room with signature soulful delivery, and a more pronounced behind-the-beat pacing that feels at home in a Jazz setting. Time can do something like that, I imagine.
DP Chase Smith captures all the mood within reach of the cameras. (Laughing) The brilliant use of shadows, coupled with the choices of LUT, zoom, and focus made me wonder if the audience had a wine jug within reach that night.
Tap the link to the video, or watch the embedded media below. Support Bilal’s track. Buy his music, along with these musicians’ releases, whenever possible. Big thanks to Glasshaus for the production. I just subscribed to their YouTube channel and put them in my rolodex …
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