Bilal

Like, I think for me, it's literally just constant research, which is listening to the singers.

Bilal, honestly, his scatting is crazy.

Um, Erica, love her scatting.

And even just listening to instruments, period, you know, getting like a whole different language and everything.

You know, how many times have we visited L.A.? I used to go to L.A.

all the time, see Bilal before I said, let's move there.

And then we used to visit your Uncle Grantley in Atlanta.

And then we was like, you know what, this is a good space.

Right.

I've spent, you know, years with Bilal, with Ledisi, and Lalah Hathaway, and Erykah, and Jill in that world.

I've spent years and years with, with Q-Tip, and, and, and Common, and J Dilla, and Mos Def, and so I live in the hip hop world.

There's a jazz world-

Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra will be performing on Friday, October 16th at Brick Jazz Fest.

On that same day, Grammy award-winning singer and composer Bilal will also be a part of the festival.

Bilal says he doesn't like to be put into a box when describing his music.

I play music for my soul, you know, music that comes to me from a I feel from another realm, another place.

So in that sense, you could say it's soul music.

I only want you.

You're all that I got to give you.

When Bilal was 13 years old, his dad would take him to Philadelphia's jazz clubs, where he got to see Terrence Blanchard, Kenny Kirkland, and Jeff Tainwatts and others.

fertile musical period, because at that point, Jazzy Jeff was doing a touch of jazz.

Jill Scott and Bilal were starting to make albums, and people were working out of Sigma Sound, which is the historic studio that was owned by Joe Tarja here in Philadelphia.

You know it probably from being the one that David Bowie also... recorded Young Americans, and then developed this whole posse of kids that followed him with that project.

And they ended up being the same kids who do the Philly Loves David Bowie week that happens here in Philadelphia every January.

So that was Sigma Sound.

And those artists were working out of Sigma.

I met Bilal, I think, for the first time at Sigma Sound.

And I heard Jill Scott and because Jazzy Jeff, who had a touch of jazz studios at one point right here in Philadelphia and was working with various artists, including Jill, he played Jill's album for me in the parking lot of the strip mall where he had the studio.

Excellent.

So with you guys staging this and you had a hell of a task there, Morris, you have all these different people, all these different artists that were coming in, Bilal, you had, uh, you know, all these different folks that to rehearsal Campbell, Tevin.

I mean, the list goes on and on to coordinate something like that.

I don't think people who don't know what it takes to put on just, just a show with just like the, just the regular, you know, Like a four piece or five piece.

Yeah

This is Soul Sister by Bilal.

The Madlib remix.

We started the section off with Dare to Dream by Viola Wills.

Had to play that, got the FOMO from everyone over in Melbourne.

Then we had You by Monifah.

Bringing us back to this Soul Sister, Madlib remix by Bilal.

If you're just joining us, Arcade Radio 95BFM My name's Leon.

Okay.

So they would do these jam sessions, and everyone from Bilal to, you know, the, the night John Forte got out of jail-

Yeah, yeah, yeah

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