Rest In Beats: A Live Band Tribute to J Dilla & Nujabes
A few months back I got a call to play a date with Black Voltron, an up-and-coming horn band in Cleveland. I didn’t know about them yet but my interest was piqued when I learned the show would highlight music by J Dilla & Nujabes arranged for the 11-piece horn-driven collective featuring a singer and emcee on a few tunes. I was knocked out by their outstanding musicianship and welcoming demeanor, all modeled by the bandleader, saxophonist/composer/arranger Robin Hyperius Blake. Comprising some of the best young players in NE Ohio, it became clear at rehearsal that they were there to have a good time but they weren’t messing around. Blake’s arrangements were faithful to the source material but made room for soloist contributions and extended grooves. Killing stuff.
On February 28, 2025 we played to a packed out crowd Crobar, one of the hippest clubs in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood that features eclectic programming and clientele. The mix of hip hop and jazz-adjacent Black musics was fire – grateful I got to be a part of it that night! The band’s gone ahead and released a recording from the night and it sounds great. Check out Rest In Beats: A Live-Band Tribute to J Dilla and Nujabes and toss them a few bucks.
Robin Blake, Joseph Kardos, and AJ Kluth as part of Black Voltron’s “Rest In Beats: A Live Band Tribute to J Dilla & Nujabes” at Crobar, February 28, 2025. Photo by @bettersouls
Having recently held down a great set at Cleveland’s Tri-C Jazz Fest and playing clubs and festivals around the region, Black Voltron’s out there “playing the universe,” creating a big tent for great Black music in Cleveland. And I’m here for it.
AJ Kluth 