The baddest. The greatest. This one is for Dilla. Check out Brant Williams paying tribute to The King Of Beats at Dazzle!
When I heard that Brant Williams (The Workshy/Judo Chop) was doing a jazz tribute to Nirvana… I was crushed that I couldn’t make it. So when I heard he was going to tribute one of the most prolific beatmakers in Hip Hop, it felt like my redemption. First off, I love Dazzle. The venue is beautiful, it maintains perfect jazz club lighting, they have a great assortment of well-priced records, and they serve up some truly delectable food and drinks to help elevate your experience. With the perfect setting, Brant put together an all-star cast of local Denver musicians to help pay respect to the fallen legend, featuring Eric Luba (Analog Son) on keys, Kirwan Brown (Link Wray) on bass, and Kowan Turner (OffSteady) on drums, the result was a stunningly genuine interpretation of the ground breaking artist and his signature style. J Dilla’s music is no stranger to jazz; his technique often resembles the refined and smooth aspects of the genre while keeping a hip hop edginess that sets him apart from his peers and loans itself well to jazz interpretations.
The amount of thought that was put into the set list is extremely commendable. Often times a tribute is no more than a cover act performing another artist’s repertoire, but this was a true tribute in every sense of the term. For starters, the fact that it’s a jazz interpretation already sparks interest in the ostensible re-imagining of well-known pieces; a fresh take of a well-known song through the lens of a different genre can make you fall in love with the music all over again. Second, the breadth of J Dilla’s catalogue cannot be fully understood without understanding his contributions to other artists. So while it was fantastic hearing songs off of the preeminent solo record “Donuts”, it was nice seeing tracks that J Dilla did for other artists, like Pharcyde, getting the treatment as well. Third, J Dilla inspired artists both in life and in death, so it is fitting that the band also chose to cover songs by artists who tributed Dilla not by covering his music, but by attributing their own songs to him, such as “J Dilla The Greatest” by Karriem Riggins, or “The Healer” by the neo-soul legend Erykah Badu. Fourth and finally, the band closed the set out with their own original tribute to Dilla, an original aptly titled “The Baddest”. As far as tributes go, this is the epitome of respect to the artist’s musical legacy. A tribute of the truest form. Musically, it is one of the best performances I’ve had the pleasure of recording all year. The baddest indeed.
Brant Williams | 2019-02-08 | Dazzle, Denver, CO
-= One Set =-
01. (Intro)
02. Time: The Donut Of The Heart
03. Why?
04. (Band Introductions)
05. Flygirl
06. Fall In Love
07. J Dilla The Greatest ->
08. The Healer
09. Love
10. Kamaal
11. The Baddest
-= Encore =-
Brant Williams on guitar
Eric Luba on keys
Kirwan Brown on bass
Kowan Turner on drums
Show Notes: This show was billed as “The King Of Beats: A Tribute To J Dilla By Brant Williams”.
Taper Notes: Mics setup DFC on-stage raised around 2′ ORTF.
Thanks to Brant Williams and Dazzle for being cool with taping/sharing shows. Go see live music and tip your bartenders! #spacetapes
LINK: https://archive.org/det…/BW2019-02-08.CA14.omnis.AUD.flac16/
