Adam Blackstone’s “Humble Magic, Vol. 1” Reimagines Jazz Standards with Soul
Bassist, producer, and musical director Adam Blackstone has just dropped his second solo album, entitled Humble Magic, Vol. 1. Blackstone, who has worked with artists ranging from Jill Scott to Justin Timberlake, continues the trajectory of 2022’s Legacy and focuses on jazz with amazing big band arrangements.
“It’s all about using our supernatural gift with humility and letting the music speak,” Blackstone says of the album. “You will be inspired by the words and sounds and the energy this body of work produces.”
The bassist is joined by special guests, including Trombone Shorty, Fantasia, Questlove, Queen Latifah, and more, as he swings on his upright. Jazz standards like “Get Happy,” “Summertime,” and “Detour Ahead” make up about half of the album. The bassist recruited Estelle to sing one of his originals, “What You Won’t Be,” which he’s shooting to make a modern standard.
“We creating a new Jazz standard with this one! All about SOUL & SONICS!” he wrote. “This song [definitely] feels like one of them ole’ ELLA, DINAH WASHINGTON, BILLIE Joints, but with a new school bop! Get into it and feel the vibes!”
Blackstone’s writing and arranging is the main focus of the album, but there’s no denying his tight bass lines. Humble Magic sees a new arrangement of the Thelonius Monk classic “Round Midnight,” which he also included on Legacy. This time around, he made it instrumental with the fretless electric bass getting some time to shine.
Humble Magic, Vol. 1 is out now on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other streaming platforms.
Humble Magic, Vol. 1 Track Listing:
- Get Happy
- Humble Magic
- What You Won’t Be
- A Madrugada
- Summertime
- ‘Round Midnight
- Back on the Strip
- Detour Ahead
- If It Had Not Been
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
