Chicago Experiment

Stream 'The Chicago Experiment' ft. Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Joel Ross, Greg Spero, more

Back in 2001, the Ropeadope label put out The Philadelphia Experiment, a collaboration between Questlove, Christian McBride, and Uri Caine with special guest Pat Martino. That was followed by The Detroit Experiment in 2003 (with Carl Craig, Bennie Maupin, Geri Allen, and Regina Carter) and The Harlem Experiment in 2007 (with Steven Bernstein, Carlos Alomar, Don Byron, Taj Mahal, Olu Dara, Queen Esther, and Steve Berrios), and now, 15 years later, the label has put out The Chicago Experiment, which was organized by Greg Spero (of Spirit Fingers) and features the impressive cast of Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross, Irvin Pierce, Jeff Parker, and Darryl Jones.

“As we resume and expand this series, It could not be more appropriate to begin with Chicago; as we recall Barack Obama’s historic speech in 2008 that began a new era in US politics and culture, we are inspired by the people of Chicago and their contribution to the world,” Ropeadope’s Louis Marks said in a statement. “As we move forward, wrestling with the ugliness that moment exposed in our culture, we seek to celebrate the inevitable destiny that this awareness has invoked – one of common human striving for beauty and peace.”

If you’ve been a fan of the thriving Chicago jazz scene that these musicians are all part of, you’ll want to hear the relaxed yet impactful vibes of this album too. Listen below…