Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

Three-day recipe for pure funk: throw three masters of different flavors of funk in a room together, give them virtually no artistic preparation or direction and lock the door for two days. On day three, add one extra ingredient just to make it interesting, and keep the doors locked. Remove from the studio, serve and feed millions.
For Ahmir Thompson, Christian McBride and Uri Caine, a whirlwind, impromptu three-day recording session that was properly dubbed the “Philadelphia Experiment” began in the Roots’ studio September 25th and culminated in 12 tracks that will be released on June 12th on Ropeadope Records. For all artists involved, it was an incredible and rare experience.

A combination stroll down Philadelphia’s diverse musical memory lane and a foray into the jazz unknown, it was a reunion for the players, producers and the record label that came up with the idea. "They just let us go in the studio and go for broke...That’s the real Philly style," comments McBride, who was reunited with his old friends Thompson (who he used to play with at the Philadelphia High School of Creative and Performing Arts) and Caine (who used to give McBride lifts from his house to his earliest jazz gigs). This "Philly-style" sense of spontaneous creativity led to frequent visits to the studio from family and friends -- several of whom heard about the gig at the last second and showed up with their instruments (i.e., Pat Martino, John Swana and Larry Gold).

A testament to all elements (past and present) that make up Philadelphia and are at the very core of jazz, the "experiment" proves conclusively that the art form is still alive and well. There’s no mistaking that ‘hood connection. These players share a bond deeper than DNA. It’s a mood that goes further than words. It’s a Philly thing.

The Players:

Ahmir Thompson is the drummer and a founding visionary of the Grammy award winning hip-hop group The Roots. He is also a member of the Soulquarians, One of the most prolific instrumental and production collectives in contemporary music, his credits include D'Angelo, Common, Erykah Badu, Musiq Soulchild and Macy Gray to name just a few. He is one of the most requested touring and studio drummers working today. Thompson is also a long-time friend and high-school homeboy of the man who would gleefully join him as the bass player on this album.

Christian McBride has risen to the top as the leading acoustic bassist of the younger generation of jazz masters. In the past decade, McBride's bass has been featured on well over 100 recordings with a variety of artists, ranging from Kathleen Battle to McCoy Tyner. His relentless drive, technical proficiency and dedication to swing above ego often motivates and inspires the best performances from those with whom he’s playing. McBride spent hours in high school playing James Brown rhythm charts with Thompson at the Philadelphia High School of Creative and Performing Arts, and this little-known fact makes a lot of sense when you hear the grooves the two develop on this record. McBride used to be driven to and from some of his earliest jazz gigs by the remarkable pianist who got on board with him for what was to become the Philadelphia Experiment.

Uri Caine is a dazzling talent who is recognized around the globe as one of the most provocative contemporary classical keyboard players and composers today. The pianist of choice for Don Byron and Dave Douglas, he has also recorded over a dozen albums of his own. Producer Aaron Levinson states confidently that Caine’s "radical approach to composition and execution makes him a figure who rivals Glenn Gould in his importance to the living tradition of classical music." His almost super-human command of the keyboard is always in service to a profound and complex artist who brings his personal insight to bear on every gig he plays.

On a very gray and rainy day in September, Thompson, McBride and Caine entered the studio. Three days later, the sun emerged brilliantly, and a photo shoot was quickly arranged. The happiness you see in their faces is real. Yeah, these guys are famous and paid, but playing great music for the love of doing it is its own reward and that conclusion seems to be captured forever in this recording.