Bilal (US)

Bilal (US)

Saturday, 4 July, 6 pm – Linhart Hall
Tickets (no assigned seating): presale EUR 25, 21*, on the day: EUR 28, 24*
* Discounted admission prices for people younger than 25, older than 65 and
Festival pass: EUR 115

Bilal, vocals;  Randy Runyon, guitar; Conley “Tone” Whitfield, bass; Joseph Grissett aka Joe Blaxx, drums

Although working across a variety of genres – from neo-soul to rock – Bilal says he is “a jazz musician first.” One only needs to experience one of his live performances to understand why: his shows are always partly improvised and never the same twice, something relatively uncommon among vocalists. Furthermore, the core of his musical expression, rests on a solid foundation. He studied jazz at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York, where – perhaps more importantly than the degree he never completed – he met Robert Glasper, a frequent collaborator, through whom Bilal became involved with artists such as Q-Tip and Mos Def.

A singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist and producer considered one of the United States’ most distinctive musicians at the intersection of contemporary R&B, neo soul and jazz, Bilal is a key innovator in contemporary African American music. Acclaimed for his wide vocal range and improvisational skills, as well as his ability to blend and seamlessly transition between genres, he has garnered particular praise for his unique, unforgettable live performances.

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His debut album, 1st Born Second (2001), was released under the guidance of producers including Dr. Dre, James Poyser, and J Dilla. Any attempt to list all of his collaborators would be needless, but it remains important to note that during the pivotal late 1990s, Bilal was deeply immersed in New York’s vibrant rap and neo soul scene. His invaluable dedication earned him a place in the experimental collective The Soulquarians – a group of artists blending jazz, soul, and hip hop influences (alongside D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Questlove, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, J Dilla, and Raphael Saadiq, among others). This truly unique, if not revolutionary, collective redefined American Black popular music and left an enduring legacy of musical innovation.
As a featured artist on Kendrick Lamar’s song These Walls (as well as several other tracks on the album To Pimp a Butterfly), Bilal shares a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance, while his performance with The Roots is widely regarded as one of the most engaging in the entire Tiny Desk series. His most recent album, Adjust Brightness, came out last year. While all of this already sounds impressive, it offers only a brief glimpse into the remarkable credentials of this singular artist.