INTERVIEW: Derrick Hodge

If you call yourself a true fan of soul and jazz, you’ve been checking for Derrick Hodge for a while. Producer, arranger, composer, musician, Derrick’s putting an exclamation point on an eventful year by releasing his sophomore solo album on esteemed label Blue Note Records, appropriately titled ‘The Second’ today. Throwing his hat into the impressive arena of August music releases, the album mixes late-night smoky club smooth vivid imagery with modern-day genre hybridization, reflecting growth and deservingly racks up rave reviews.

I caught up with the busy bassist earlier this year in Durham at this year’s Art of Cool Fest to discuss winning Grammys as a member of The Robert Glasper Experiment ( with a new album ‘ArtScience’ for the quartet coming soon), meeting Maxwell and serving as his musical director, working with Kanye West, Common, Mos Def, Q-Tip and Herbie Hancock and creating full orchestra arrangements for a Kennedy Center tribute to Nas’ ‘Illmatic’. Accomplished, real and humble, the quick convo yielded some dope anecdotes, especially dropping advice for musicians striving to get Grammy recognition and keeping the experience in perspective. Go cop ‘The Second’ and peep the interview soundclips below!