The Robert Glasper Experiment teamed up with Pete Rock and the legendary Roy Ayers for a few special shows over the past year or so.  Earlier this summer, we were blessed with a soundboard recording of the super-group performing live at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.  Last year we presented some treats from their show in Harlem (refresh your memory here), and now we have the full set for your download pleasure below.  Big thanks to Randy from Funk It for passing along this show- be sure to check out his site Funk It for all that live funk goodness.

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Earlier this year, a truly special show graced the spotlights at Harlem Stage in NYC.  The Robert Glasper Experiment teamed up with Stefon Harris and Pete Rock to perform a tribute set to the legendary Roy Ayers.  The Experiment flipped their own twist on Ayers’ vast catalog while Pete Rock threw some hip-hop into the mix, leading the band into hip hop classics that sampled Ayers.  It was an incredible evening and is near the top of my list as far as shows I’ve seen this year.  Here are a few songs from the evening, courtesy of our exclusive recording.

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The Soul Brother #1, Pete Rock, was the latest honoree of Peter Rosenberg’s celebrated Noisemakers series.  The beat godfather gave an in-depth interview about his career, including some great stories of working with Kanye West (yes, its confirmed), Q-Tip, Nas, Puff and Biggie and a riveting tale of Big Pun eating a bag of onion rings while recording his verse for Verbal Murder.  As with all Noisemaker events, the hip-hop icon’s extensive catalog of beats were brought to life via live tribute sets from Daru Jones and The Noize.  The Noize consists of Daru Jones on drums, Igmar Thomas on trumpet, Chris Rob on keybass and Jared Jacobs on keys & synths.  Pete Rock was definitely impressed by the band, saying “they nailed it to a T!”.  The complete interview and tribute sets are below and are a must-listen for hip-hop heads.  Previous featured Noisemakers guests include DJ Premier, Questlove, Q-Tip, Raekwon and Talib Kweli.

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