I am admittedly biased about Robert Glasper.  He is my best friend and my life partner.  He is also a brilliant musician… disclosure and disclaimers aside.

–Angelika Beener, jazz writer and in Glasper’s circle.

This made me laugh out loud and will also get me to a store to find the cd. Go deeper on this and sundry other jazz and real world topics at:

http://alternate-takes.com/2012/03/01/black-radio-pianist-robert-glasper-turns-it-up/

Personal to A.B.: I was once close to JAE. He had a girlfriend, bandmates, roommates, and I had a girlfriend and a few chums, but we had a special bond. I helped him load out of B.B. King’s once — boy when you double or triple on bass clarinet, tenor and alto, that in itself is a lot of work, to carry let alone play them things. I schlepped an organ from the shop to studio once. That and helping he and Noel Silverman negotiate a three-cd deal with the late great Joel Dorn and Kevin Calabro: I was the p.m. of JAE. For a minute. Initial term, 2003-2004 but still follow and root for him, if I don’t collect a nickel for every copy of “Friends Seen…” nor my two cents worth for every copy of Orrin Evans’ “Easy Now” (features John Ellis “Bonus Round” written or released during my term).