Questlove of The Roots performs at the DC Jazz Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2013 at Kastles Stadium in Washington, DC. Photo By: Anthony Washington
The Roots a.k.a The Legendary Roots crew showed why they are one of the best bands in the world on Saturday night when they destroyed the stage at the showcase event of the DC Jazz Festival at Kastle Stadium at the Wharf.
Events DC partnered with The DC Jazz Festival to make this event possible. In its 9th year, the 12-day festival includes more than 125 performances at more then 40 venues all across the city including Sixth & I Synagogue, The Hamilton Live, The Howard Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and Kastles Stadium to name a few. The festival has become one of the best festivals in the tri-state area.
The Grammy award winning hip hop band The Roots have been touring and performing for the past 25 years. Before becoming the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Roots spent 300+ days per year performing around the world. The band is a regular act at many of the most notable music festivals in the world. Including jazz festivals like the Montreux Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival.
The Roots were the perfect pick to play the showcase event of the DC Jazz Festival being that their foundation is rooted in jazz and hip hop. The groups first notable song Proceed is a perfect mix of jazz meets hip hop and the sequel to the song Proceed II featuring Roy Ayers takes the mix to another level.
In addition to Proceed, the band touched on other classic songs of theirs throughout the night including; Mellow My Man, You Got Me, Next Movement, Break You Off, Thought At Work, The Seed, The Seed 2.0, Don’t Say Nothin, and a Black Thought mixtape classic Please Don’t Go.
As always, the band remixed many their songs including “a tip of the hat” to Chuck Brown, Guns N’ Roses, and Bob Marley while doing so. The groups individual solos were truly the highlight of the night as each band member shined while their band mates played the background.
Listening to The Roots perform is like listening to a mixtape. They do not take breaks, they do not stop, they just smoothly blend one song into the next taking you on a ride full of surprises. The band played for nearly two hours straight including an encore that got them a standing ovation from the huge crowd at Kastles Stadium.
Enough said. Enjoy the photos!
More Photos:
The Roots at the DC Jazz Festival – Images by Anthony Washington
