The Black Radio Experience returned to Napa over Labor Day weekend, transforming the Meritage Resort and Spa into a hub for Black music and culture.
Curated by pianist and producer Robert Glasper and presented by the Blue Note Jazz Festival, the three-day event on Friday-Sunday, Aug. 29-31, delivered a lineup that mixed everything from heavy-hitting legends Big Daddy Kane, Earth, Wind & Fire and The Roots to emerging talent like rapper Saba and the experimental pop sounds of Willow and much more, drawing a sold-out crowd of 3,000 attendees despite the scorching heat of Wine Country.
The Black Radio Experience opened with what felt like the perfect trifecta: pianist James Francies, an alumnus of the prestigious Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts just like Glasper; Freelance, a hip-hop collective that served as the event’s de facto house band with four sets on the Wine Garden Stage over all three days; and Oakland native Aneesa Strings, the bassist and singer whose mix of originals and a Too Short cover of “Blow the Whistle” nodded to her East Bay roots.
“I’ve known Robert since I was 14 years old,” said Francies after his Friday afternoon performance, “so opening this festival was special and just shows how much of a full-circle moment it is for all of us.”…