Artists

What would it sound like if someone bridged the gap between big band jazz and classic hip-hop anthems? Between Art Blakey and A Tribe Called Quest; between Freddie Hubbard and J. Dilla? One answer is offered by trumpeter Igmar Thomas, the founder and musical director of the Revive Big Band.

Between originals, standard jazz repertoire and orchestrations of contemporary classics, Thomas aligns a multi-generational ensemble with a black music tradition that leads to the present day.

Igmar Thomas, the current MD for Ms. Lauryn Hill and D Nice, and former bandleader for Nas. Rooted in Black American music and combining jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul, blues & gospel, the band is made up of some of the most accomplished musicians alive today. Collectively, the band’s members have 27 Grammy nominations Billboard, and others, and have performed all over the 13 Grammy wins been praised in nearly every major media outlet including the New York Okayplayer Downbeat world and collaborated with some of the most well-known artists out there today: Common, J. Cole, D’Angelo, Queen Latifah, Jill Scott, Ashanti, Slick Rick, Jada kiss, Quincy Jones, HerbieHancock Sting, Esperanza Spalding, Talib Kweli, Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, just to name a few.

While the Revive Big Band is grounded in Black American Music, this album and tour redefine what the big band sounds like by both paying homage to its roots and pushing the boundaries of today’s music.