Groove – Episode #69: Derrick Hodge

Pay attention to Derrick Hodge. He is the present and future of the electric bass. With two Grammy Awards under his belt, the Blue Note recording artist grew up, and sharpened his chops in the Philadelphia area.

Derrick studied music from six years old, and this genre-crushing musician did it via gospel, pop, jazz and orchestral music. He studied jazz composition and performance in college, and this made him the first jazz major who participated in the Temple University Symphony Orchestra. His incredible diversity for musical genres led him to play with a potpourri of Philly greats (think Bootsie Barnes, Jill Scott, Soulchild, and even DJ Jazzy Jeff).

From Philly, it was on to conquer the world. His work ranged from orchestrations with Common and Kanye West to winning R&B Grammys with Robert Glasper Experiment as a founding member of the group. As if that were not enough, he’s worked with artists like Maxwell (for nearly a decade), co-produced for Justin Kauflin with Quincy Jones, and several Blue Note projects alongside Don Was, all while maintaining his solo projects and touring. Derrick’s worked with Herbie Hancock, Mos Def, Timbaland, Andre 3000, Sade, and many more.

His latest is Color of Noize, a band, a concept, and an album that will offer more questions than answers. The music is a melting pot of styles, sounds, and songwriting as diverse as Derrick’s history.

Enjoy the conversation…