Kassa Overall
Kassa Overall vocals/drums, Tomoki Sanders sax/keys/backing vocals, Ian Fink keys, Bendji Allonce percussion/backing vocals
Kassa Overall melds avant-garde experimentation with hip-hop production techniques to tilt the nexus of jazz and hip-hop in unmapped directions. His recent album I Think I’m Good features many kindred spirits, such as fellow rising stars Theo Croker and Joel Ross, as well as activist Angela Davis and singer J. Hoard. During quarantine, Kassa Overall has released two mix tapes titled Shades of Flu with hip-hop remixes of well-known and obscure jazz, inspired by Madlib’s DJ album Shades of Blue.
As a drummer, Kassa Overall studied with his heroes, Billy Hart and the late Elvin Jones. He played in Geri Allen’s band, and with a great variety of artists including Steve Coleman, Gary Bartz, Francis and the Lights, Yoko Ono, and Peter Evans. As a producer and arranger, he worked on albums by Theo Croker, Arto Lindsay, and Das Racist. As a vocalist he made his mark on acclaimed albums by Terri Lyne Carrington.