Concert Review: Introducing August Greene At The Highline Ballroom
Going to see August Greene was like going to see The Big Three of Jazz/ Music; Robert Glasper, Karriem Riggins, and Common. The crowd was jittering, as if they were about to see a This Is Us episode. Truthfully, each member of this newly formed band had made career off of making people feel warm, thoughtful, and humane. Thus, it was very hard for August Greene to disappoint, but I did not expect how easy it was for them to supersede at Highline Ballroom.
At first the night felt like Robert Glasper and friends; his words, not mine. He is a chatty, comedic man who never backs from a moment to rib the audience or land a joke on one of his many friends, who came that night to celebrate his talent. As he drank his beer and swore he would be drunk in 30 minutes, he covered enough artistic greats, from Radiohead to Herbie Hancock, to make you eternally sober. You felt awakened by his capacity to joke about hecklers, and then go in off in a piano riff that made this simple instrument feel endless in keys and offerings. It is no wonder Robert Glasper has so many friends.
From Jill Scott to Lupe Fiasco, Robert Glasper had formed a Sesame Street for exceptional, legendary musicians to take a friendly stroll on his stage, leave a lesson on improv or vocal capacity, and walk away having painted your life with a childlike, colorful joy. Each artist leaving with thankfulness to Glasper, before exiting the stage. The crowd went wild, and felt treated with a treasure chest of gold, when all they were expecting was a purse. Even so, there still was not the “August Greene Experience” that we had been so eagerly awaiting. One hour in, and the audience mumbled to itself, “Where is Common?”. After all, he is apart of “The Big Three”. Hence, when he came on to that stage, it was as if the concert had been divided between the first half/ The Robert Glasper Experiment and that latter:August Greene.
When Common, finally, arrived the full preview of August Greene, as a trio, came to life, and left people beyond excited for this union. Although with only a single out and no debut album, these are three legends uniting to make music that is insightful to both social and human behavior. Their chemistry together should be studied, marveled, and placed in every music museum under a golden plaque that says, “This Is How You Make A Power Trio”. There is a brotherly, subtle one up-manship within August Greene that has its members seemingly outdoing themselves. They cannot help but build upon each other’s talent and energy as if to prove human beings can reach the sky, of which stars like Dave Chappelle were happy to join them on stage and share in such energy.
I have to say August Greene is exceptional. They not only display music for its fun spontaneity and capacity to unite artists from every scope, but they also show it for its grandeur. It is strange to walk out of a show feeling humbled to witness talent. You go to an August Greene concert, and you are reminded that we are all selected for a creative outlet, and a few lucky ones like Robert Glasper, Common, and Karriem Riggins have been chosen for music. Thus, I end my review with the best quote of the night, and one Dave Chappelle sincerely said “It warms my heart to see good guys get their due”. For More Information on August Greene Click Here.
Common – Black America Again ft. Stevie Wonder
