Holy shit: Questlove AND Booker T. on the same stage? Two sets? The legendary Roots drummer is bringing two nights of tight jams to the Blue Note, with the even more legendary keyboardist Booker T., a man whose shadow looms large on contemporary hip-hop. With his group, the M.G.’s, Booker T. was the house band for Stax records, creating those tight, in-the-pocket sounds that formed the highly sampled works of artists like Otis Redding and Rufus Thomas. That he has united with Questlove, one of the world’s tightest living drummers, is probably the reason that they are playing four sets over the course of these two nights: these will undoubtedly sell out, so don’t sleep on this incredible opportunity.
But wait, that’s not it, incredibly. The night AFTER all this goes down, The Roots will be teaming up with Rakim for the 25th anniversary of Paid in Full, one of hip-hop’s classic album. That is, of course, already sold out, but maybe you know somebody who knows somebody…—Finn Cohen
Questlove Presents Mo' Meta Blues I
Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21
Times 9 p.m. & 11:30 p.m. (both nights)
Blue Note Jazz Club
131 West 3rd Street, New York
Tickets $20 (bar); $35 (table)
