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THE ROOTS AND FRIENDS
with the Dallas Pops
Irving 2017 [no label, 2CD]
A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop. The Pavilion, Irving, TX; October 17, 2017. Very good audio (ripped from HDTV webcast).
Kevin Ryan, dallasobserver.com:
Chaka Khan emerged like a flamenco dancer, fluttering a silken hand-fan with “CHAKA” etched into its folds. She was the surprise guest for The Roots’ collaboration with the Dallas Pops at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on Tuesday night, and when she strode onto the stage an hour into the show, the audience lost their minds. Behind her, a 50-piece orchestra sweated in tuxedos.
“OK, this next song I’m sure most of you over 30 are familiar with,” she said, her gold sequin dress reflecting light. Chimes rang. Strings undulated. Robert Glasper spun - one-handed - through a synth lead in a beanie, fingers spidering across the keyboard.
It took a moment for the crowd to recognize the song “I Know You, I Live You.” With the orchestra, it sounded like Les Fleur-era Minnie Riperton. The beat wasn’t the electronic pulse of the original; it was exotic. Khan sang in perfect bursts, with a rowdy but angelic voice that induced shivers. She didn’t even need a microphone.
The show had begun much quieter, with a lone synth and a sample from a poem about death, possibilities and dreaming. Black Thought dove into “Web” over strings, which animated the song. The beat stomped hard as the cellos swayed with Sam Cooke grace. A sea of heads nodded to the sweeping sounds of violins.
Each song blended seamlessly into the next. No stops, no chatter, no politics, no time wasted - just music. The Roots’ “Star” melded into Miles Davis, melded into “20 Feet Tall.” Erykah Badu strode onstage in a Tom Petty top hat and majestic jewelry.
As a band, the Roots are sharper than ever. They practice every day, and their performances are downright athletic. They can glide through styles and genres with ease.
When Badu started “You Got Me,” trumpets brightened the song. Flutes crescendoed alongside Sonic Youth guitar. Guitarist “Captain” Kirk Douglas bee-bopped into a jazz-soaked hip-hop solo. At one point, he lifted his ruby Gibson SG with gold pickups toward the crowd and soloed one-handed.
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Thanks to RandyBayers for sharing the show at Dime.
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likescookies, Dime:
Problem with source audio feed: around the 3:13 mark of Concerto of the Desperado, the 6:04 mark of Star/Jam, and the 1:02 mark of You Got Me.
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Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (320 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
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Disc 1
Track 101. Intro 2:23
Track 102. Web 3:29
Track 103. Game Theory 5:31
Track 104. Concerto Of The Desperado 3:38
Track 105. Long Time 4:53
Track 106. Panic!!! 3:21
Track 107. Star/Jam (with Robert Glasper) 6:33
Track 108. 20 Feet Tall (with Erykah Badu & Robert Glasper) 4:38
Track 109. Afro Blue (with Erykah Badu & Robert Glasper) 8:33
Track 110. You Got Me (with Erykah Badu) 14:29
Track 111. Break You Off 7:13
Track 112. Orchestral Interlude 1:06
Track 113. Drums-Stro Elliot drum machine solo 6:15
72 mins
Disc 2
Track 201. Jeremy Ellis drum machine solo 1:42
Track 202. Act Too (The Love Of My Life) 3:19
Track 203. Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop) (with Erykah Badu) 3:35
Track 204. Silent Treatment 9:36
Track 205. Bilal Intro 2:00
Track 206. Dear God (with Bilal) 3:39
Track 207. Sometimes (with Bilal) 2:29
Track 208. It Ain’t Fair (with Bilal) 7:07
Track 209. Earth Song (with Chaka Khan) 9:10
Track 210. Egyptian Song (with Chaka Khan) 6:08
Track 211. I Know You, I Live You (with Chaka Khan & Robert Glasper) 8:39
Track 212. The Next Movement 6:23
Track 213. Clones 6:09
70 mins
The Roots:
Questlove - drums
Black Thought - MC
Captain Kirk Douglas - guitar, vocals
Mark Kelley - bass
Ray Angry - keyboards
James Poyser - keyboards
Damon “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson - sousaphone
Jeremy Ellis - drum machines
Stro Elliott - drum machines
Ian Hendrickson-Smith - saxophone
David Guy - trumpet
Friends:
Miguel Atwood-Fergusion - conductor
The Dallas POPS Orchestra
Robert Glasper - keyboards
Erykah Badu - vocals
Bilal - vocals
Chaka Khan - vocals
? - background vocals with Chaka Khan
? - background vocals with Chaka Khan
Click here
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