> At a Glance
> – Robert Glasper scored his 16th Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Jazz Album with Keys to the City Volume One
> – The nod marks his first Grammy recognition in jazz, despite starting his career in the genre
> – Glasper credits longtime friend Norah Jones for helping him land his first record deal
> – Why it matters: The pianist’s genre-blending journey shows how staying authentic can rewrite industry rules
Robert Glasper keeps adding hardware to the shelf. On Nov. 7 the pianist-producer earned his 16th Grammy nomination, this time in the newly minted Best Alternative Jazz Album slot for Keys to the City Volume One, a live set cut during his annual Blue Note residency.
A First in Jazz
Glasper built his name in R&B circles, winning five Grammys and collaborating with Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Anderson .Paak and more. Yet jazz is where he began.
> “Jazz is where I started… Most of my nominations are in R&B, because that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 15 years or so,” he tells News Of Los Angeles. “So it’s great to be back home.”
He believes his boundary-pushing style helped prompt the Recording Academy to add the alternative-jazz category:
- Everybody’s jazz isn’t the same
- Everybody’s R&B isn’t the same
- The new box “allows the box to be open”
Camp Crush to Career Boost
Glasper’s friendship with Norah Jones traces back to 11th-grade jazz camp in Texas. After Jones exploded with Come Away with Me, Blue Note’s windfall let the label sign another young talent.
> “She kind of helped jump-start my career in a way, without even realizing it,” he says.
Their reunion inside the tiny Blue Note club felt like old times. Jones joined five nights, gamely covering Outkast’s Prototype:
> “It’s always cool when you know somebody from the beginnings and you see them when they blow up and they’re just still good people.”
Steering by the Universe
Glasper once chased the title of “best.” The trophies changed his focus.
> “Once you realize what your music does for people… I’ve had people tell me, ‘Your music stopped me from hurting myself.'”
His current mantra:
- Walk to the beat of your own drum
- Trends come and go; authenticity sticks
- Let the universe co-produce
> “My coproducer’s the universe… I like magic. Magic is cool.”
Key Takeaways
- 16 nominations, 5 wins-Glasper still treats every nod like the first
- First Grammy jazz nomination arrives after years of genre-blending
- Norah Jones indirectly opened the door for his Blue Note signing
- Advice to younger self: ignore trends, trust yourself, embrace uncertainty
