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André 3000 review – live spiritual jazz leaves hip-hop visionary with nowhere to hide
The former rapper starts promisingly with earthy improvisation but the band drifts disappointingly with no solos and few flashes of emotion
Flanked by players from New Blue Sun, including LA spiritual jazz stalwarts Carlos Niño and Nate Mercereau, the group launch into an hour of free improvisation to a packed crowd. Things start promisingly: percussionist Niño creates textural soundscapes with rustling palm fronds and a softly beaten gong while André plays a whispering synthesised melody through a Midi woodwind. The mood is earthy and atmospheric and as the improvisations continue, Deantoni Parks brings in an increasingly dark palette of bass-laden synths, leading André to find a more dexterous and lyrical fingering on his flute.
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