Robert Glasper

Robert Glasper with Bilal and Stonephace, Southbank Centre, London Jazz Festival

Jazz is a genre not often dealt with by casual listeners. It tends to be a kind of music one either loves or hates. But when given the opportunity to see Robert Glasper at the Southbank, my ordinary pop-loving self was dragged out for the evening.

An interesting, but very loud band Stonephace opened to the apparent distaste of the mature crowd of Southbank regulars. I thought they were okay, but they seemed inappropriate for the venue and this audience was left wanting for Glasper.

Glasper is the most adaptable of pianists. He's worked with Common, features on Q-Tip’s ‘The Renaissance’ and had shared a stage with Maxwell just the night before his Southbank show.

Looking relaxed in an MJ t-shirt, he managed to take in good spirits the fact his microphone failed to work for a few moments. He even found humour in the muted response the reserved English crowd gave his new album.

He introduced the other two parts of his three-piece band with teasingly understated platitudes, highlighting their obvious friendships. When everyone was sitting comfortably, he began.