The root connection between hip-hop and jazz is an old story, but it feels totally fresh in the hands of Kassa Overall. He’s spent much of the last decade exploring this relationship from the inside, as a drummer turned rapper and self-described “backpack jazz producer.” His smart new album, CREAM, is a celebration of 1990s hip-hop and its classic source material — all within the swinging framework of small-group acoustic jazz. Overall joined Nate and WRTI Evening Jazz host Nicole Sweeney to talk (on camera) about it before a front-to-back performance of the album at Solar Myth earlier this month. (He swing like that? You best believe it.)
Cool Like Dat, with Kassa Overall
