Customer Reviews

The Philadelphia Experiment

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Philadelphia Experiment is a trio made up of three of Philly's finest, drummer ?uestlove, keyboardist Uri Caine and bassist Christian McBride. The group is a jazz combo, but they inflect hip hop beats and attitude thanks to ?uestlove who day job is drumming for The Roots. The eleven tracks are mostly made up of covers like Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" which shimmers with a funky, cool vibe and Elton John's "Philadelphia Freedom" which they slow down from an up-tempo song into a plaintive celebration of their home town. They acknowledge the influence of and celebrate the music of a Philadelphia legend, the late Grover Washington, Jr. on a cover of his "Mister Magic" and the original "Grover". Mr. Washington was a classy and brilliant musician who is often overlooked, but it is heartening to see that younger musicians like the members of The Philadelphia Experiment appreciate his contributions.

You can't go wrong with ?uestluv (Roots drummer) backing up the productions. Christian McBride another great talent in Philly and Uri Caine an amazing talent that meshes well in this jazz trio. If I had the skills to produce a jazz CD, this is what it probably would sound like. Good sounds, great vibe...... an ear candy treat.

oNe

Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson is one of the truly gifted young artists in modern music and his presence is the force that truly drives this fantastic collection into the creative stratosphere. As the main creative force behind The Roots earthy, groove-oriented funk rap and the purveyor of the organic, beautiful sounds that anchor recent works by D'Angelo and rapper Common, his drumming and production skills are approaching legendary status and with good reason, the funk/jazz stylings of this great LP (the title cut and great original composition "Grover") are a fine, if somewhat limited example of his skills. Assisted ably by bassist Christian McBride and keyboard whiz Uri Caine, Thompson lays down fat bottomed grooves and alternates between good, solid rhythm playing and skittering, herky-jerky adventurous experimenting always leaving the listener short of breath! While a few of these numbers veer dangerously close to funky background music, the album, on the whole is quite satifying and doesn't embarrass any of it's participants. A worthwhile experiment that sounds quite promising and makes one hopeful for further explorations next time around.

The album is very well done in my opinion. ?uestlove is working some magic on the drums and Christian McBride is killing that bass! I haven't listened to a lot Uri Caine's work, but he definitely adds a wonderful flavor to the mix with the keys. Pat Martino also does some standout work, especially on the title track. The album goes through a lot of different moods. But they are all energetic. Even the relaxing tracks have an energy to them. The title track has an unique feel that is extremely addictive, changing flow from a mellow groove to something closer to trip-hop or drum and bass.

A very versatile album. Stand out tracks for me are #2-Grover, #6-Ain't It the Truth, and of course #5-Trouble Man Theme (considering my utmost respect for Marvin Gaye) Definitely a good purchase. Cop that.

In late 2000, three native Philadelphian musicians teamed up for an experimental Jazz-based eclectic mix of sounds. The outcome promised to be an impressive and unique touch which crosses the boundaries of three genres in the art of music; Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Classical. The three revolutionaries were drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (of the progressive, live Hip-Hop band, The Roots), famed Modern-Jazz bassist Christian McBride, and Classical pianist and keyboardist, Uri Caine.

Throughout the eleven tracks on the self-titled Rope-A-Dope Records released "The Philadelphia Experiment," the listener (you) falls into a sense of soothing relaxation as Caine tickles the ivories, Thompson dribbles the toms and rides the cymbals, and McBride slides his fingers up and down, right and left on his acoustic and electric basses.

The album is by no means any competition for classics as "Kind Of Blue" or "A Love Supreme" (parts of the album aren't really Jazz at all, and the general sound is more of a modern groove than a timeless classic from yesteryear in Jazz). But for what it's worth, "The Philadelphia Experiment" is an innovation in the obscure arena of rhythmic connections in Jazz, Soul, Funk and other forms of instrumental and vocal expression. From the Smokey-Club feel of "Lesson #4" to the laid-back title-track, to the covers of Marvin Gaye's classic "Trouble Man" and Grover Washington/Bill Withers' "Just The Two Of Us" (with the latter being a bonus hidden track at the very end), TPE is well worth the purchase. Guest musicians include Pat Martino and Larry Gold.

-Musicologist

This album is best described as 'jazz/hiphop fusion'. If you like either of these styles, you will love this album. With hiphop group The Root's drummer, jazz bass player Christian McBride and a few other great musicians drawn from varius musical backgrounds, this album is full of creativity and great groovin tracks. A little known fact is that McBride actually went to high school with the original roots members and is considered 'an original root' himself, and it shows on this album. You gotta check this out! Read more on christianmcbride.com

I'm sayin' this is all over the place! I haven’t heard such a tight, new jazz album in awhile. Now before everyone starts name droppin’ I don’t usually pick up “new” jazz albums. To be honest I forgot this was even coming out (June 12th on RopeADope Records). A friend who works at a record store in Philly told me I should check this out and I haven’t removed it from the deck since.

I had high expectations prior to listening. I mean anyone would, ?uest on drums, Christian McBride on bass, and Uri Caine on keys? You can only expect the best, right? I’m not disappointed at all.

So here we go…the quick version and right off the top of my head…

1. PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT - The guitar (I think I read somewhere it’s Pat Martino) is tight as hell and I’m a sucka for horns on a track, used appropriately (John Swana on Trumpet) but I think it’s the change up of the drums that get me on this track.

2. GROVER – It sounds like a funky jam session, especially Pat & Uri!

3. LESSON #4 – OK, this sounds straight up like this could be a classic 60’s Blue Note track (Glad my pops handed down the old wax)! Why do I feel like I should be in a tight, smoky jazz club?

4. CALLING ALL DEMOS – Jam session but mellower.

5. TROUBLE MAN – Classic!

6. AIN’T IT THE TRUTH – I love this track! The bridge is tight!

7. ILE IFE – Ok, Christian and Pat stand out on this one to me. It’s very smooth! Might be my favorite track.

8. THE MILES HIT – I like how everyone comes in at different times. ?uest sets this one off nicely!

9. (RE)MOVED – OK so now I know why Uri is world renown.

10. PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM – Nicely done! Who’s on this track besides ?uest, Christian and Uri?

11. MR. MAGIC – Again sounds like old school Blue Note!

*Bonus Track, Bonus Track!!! It’s funny, I heard someone else do the same song and it was horrible. I love this version.

Overall the album is tasty! I hope this drops on wax. Please? Please? I think most people will either love it or hate it. If you like organic jazz, pick it up. If you like Kenny G. sort of jazz don’t expect anything like that but pick up THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT anyway and support good music.

Great disc, it arrived in 10 days in Italy from USA. Fast shipping. Disc used but in optimal conditions.

I bought this one because of Christian McBride,but it's nothing like his own CDs,but I enjoy it a lot! Urban sound,nice groove,a mix of funk/soul/jazz

Hey goofballs! Are you expecting another Bill Evans or Dave Brubeck trio playing Honeysuckle rose? This thing doesn't swing but it's harmonically interesting, sort of a hip-hop/Drums and bass but doesn't sound like it, it's exciting but not really challenging. It's accessible to everybody but not a sellout. The tracks are really nice, especially "Call for all Demons", dark and creative solo by Uri Caine. And as for Mcbride, he is just one hell of a bad mother...
This is not the place to look for spirituality, because the music here is a reflection of today's society, and there is NO spirituality in the community.
The only thing lacking in this CD is the drum beat, it seems to get rather corny and repetitive.

Well, this is a nice and refreshing piece of work, time to get hip and move on into the 21st century.