Derrick Hodge (born July 5, 1979) is a composer, musical director, bandleader, producer bassist and advocate. To date he has been awarded two

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, named a Sundance Composer Fellow, received a Motif Award; one of world's highest honors for Child Advocacy, and his playing on Common's '' BE'' has been recognized as one of top 20 basslines in Hip Hop History. Hodge has played on some of music’s most iconic albums, written and performed orchestral arrangements and compositions, scored film and television work and created evocative sonic installations for prestigious cultural institutions, all alongside his work as an activist in the field of emerging young musicians. As a performer, Hodge has founded and played in bands and groups as diverse and as influential as R+R=Now, the Robert Glasper Experiment and The Blue Note All Stars, as a producer he has collaborated with icons including

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...

and

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

and as Musical Director he has worked with luminaries including

Yasiin Bey Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, and notably held the position with Maxwell from 2009 to 2019. Growing up just outside Philadelphia, Hodge’s talent was quickly recognized by members of the city’s

Neo-soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

movement, and whilst still in college he became the bass player and Musical Director of choice for pioneers including Jill Scott, Maxwell,

Floetry Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("The Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("The Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums and one live album and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwi ...

, James Posyer and

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by the stage name Musiq Soulchild or simply Musiq (pronounced "music") is an American singer and songwriter whose style blends R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and Gospel music, gospel influ ...

. Simultaneously he was forging a career in jazz circles with other musicians including

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed ...

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained in ...

and

Bootsie Barnes Robert "Bootsie" Barnes (November 27, 1937 – April 22, 2020) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Philadelphia. Early life and education Barnes was raised in a housing project in North Philadelphia. His father was a trumpet player who ...

. As a

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

Recording Artist Hodge has released three critically acclaimed solo projects: Live Today (2013), The Second (2016), and Color Of Noize (2020) In 2014 Hodge became the first Black composer to compose Hip Hop for the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...

when he acted as Orchestral Arranger and Music Director for the iconic event “20th anniversary celebration of

Illmatic ''Illmatic'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on April 19, 1994, by Columbia Records. After signing with the label with the help of MC Serch, Nas recorded the album in 1992 and 1993 at Chung King Studios, D&D Re ...

which saw

perform the album with the

, conducted by

Steven Reineke Steven Reineke (born September 14, 1970) is a conductor, composer, and arranger from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the Music Director of The New York Pops. He currently resides in New York City. Biography Reineke was born in 1970 in Tipp City, Ohio a ...

. The event - which was named by FENDER as one of the top moments in Hip Hop history - was also the first time Hip Hop was ever performed by the

and at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

. Throughout his life, Hodge has devoted himself to projects that elevate and animate the African American legacy: the struggle but also - always - the poetry and the triumph too.

Career

Hodge was signed to

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

after meeting record producer and Blue Note president

in September 2011. On August 6, 2013, his solo album, ''Live Today'', was released with guest appearances by

("Live Today"), vocalist Alan Hampton ("Holding Onto You"),

Robert Glasper Robert Andre Glasper (born April 6, 1978) is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger with a career that bridges several different musical and artistic genres, mostly centered on jazz. To date, Glasper has won fou ...

("Live Today"),

Chris Dave Chris "Daddy" Dave is a drummer, composer, and bandleader from Houston, Texas. He attended Howard University. He is a drummer in jazz, gospel, hip hop, noted for his extremely virtuosic sticking technique and ability to play with a high deg ...

, Mark Colenburg, Travis Sayles,

Keyon Harrold Keyon Karim Harrold (born November 18, 1980) is an American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer. Early life and family Keyon Harrold was born and raised in Ferguson, Missouri, United States, one of 16 children in a family of musi ...

, and

Aaron Parks Aaron Parks (born October 7, 1983) is an American jazz pianist. Career A native of Seattle, Parks studied at the University of Washington at the age of 14 through the Transition School and Early Entrance Program as a double major in computer sc ...

. He has also worked with

Osvaldo Golijov Osvaldo Noé Golijov (; born December 5, 1960) is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work. Biography Osvaldo Golijov was born in and grew up in La Plata, Argentina, in a Jewish family ...

, Anthony Hamilton,

Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an Americans, American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert ...

Donnie McClurkin Donald Andrew "Donnie" McClurkin, Jr. (born November 9, 1959) is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. He i ...

, James Moore,

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

, Q-Tip, Jill Scott,

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

, and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. He has toured and recorded with

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

Terell Stafford Terell Stafford (born November 25, 1966) is a professional jazz trumpet player and current Director of Jazz Studies at the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University. Terell Stafford was born in Miami, Florida, and raised in both Chi ...

, and

. He appeared on '' Flow'' and ''

A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina) ''A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina)'' is a studio album recorded in 2007 by the Terence Blanchard Quintet. The album was originally released on by Blue Note Records. In 2008, Blanchard won a Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemb ...

'' (2007), which were nominated for four

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s, winning one for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. He also appeared on rapper Common's albums '' Be'' and ''

Finding Forever ''Finding Forever'' is the seventh studio album by Common, released on July 31, 2007, on GOOD Music and Geffen Records. Like Common's previous album, '' Be'' (2005), ''Finding Forever'' is primarily produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at t ...

'', which won a Grammy Award. Hodge was musical director for R&B singer Maxwell from 2009 to 2013, and was featured as bassist on Maxwell's ''

BLACKsummers'night ''BLACKsummers'night'' is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Maxwell, released July 7, 2009 on Columbia Records. It is the follow-up to his third album ''Now'' (2001). Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to ...

'', which peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and ''Billboard''

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

as well as winning a

Grammy Award for Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

in 2010. Hodge won a

in 2013 with the Robert Glasper Experiment for '' Black Radio'' and in 2014 with '' Black Radio 2''. Hodge was a contributing composer for the musical score of '' When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts'', an HBO documentary produced by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

, aired in August 2006, as well as choral arranger for the ending credits of ''

Miracle at St. Anna ''Miracle at St. Anna'' is a 2008 AmericanItalian epic war film directed by Spike Lee and written by James McBride, based on McBride's 2003 novel of the same name. The film stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Pierfra ...

'' also directed by Lee. He was sole composer of the score for the documentary film '' Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans'' directed by Dawn Logsdon, written by

Lolis Eric Elie Lolis Eric Elie (born April 10, 1963) is an American writer, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and food historian best known for his work as story editor of the HBO drama '' Treme'' and story editor of AMC's ''Hell on Wheels''. Early life an ...

and released in 2008. Other film credits include music composer for '' The Recruiter'' directed by

Edet Belzberg Edet Belzberg is a documentary filmmaker. She won a 2005 MacArthur Fellowship. Biography Belzberg received a B.A. in 1991 from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.A. in 1997 from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbi ...

, ''

The Black Candle ''The Black Candle'' is a documentary film about Kwanzaa directed by M. K. Asante and narrated by Maya Angelou. The film premiered on cable television on Starz on November, 2012. Synopsis ''The Black Candle'' uses Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is ...

'' directed by

M. K. Asante, Jr. M. K. Asante (born November 3, 1982) is an American author, filmmaker, recording artist, and professor. He is the author of the 2013 best-selling memoir Buck: A Memoir, ''Buck''.

, as well as scores for director and playwright

David E. Talbert David E. Talbert (born February 10, 1966) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He is a graduate of Morgan State University and attended the New York University film program. Talbert has won numerous NAACP awards for his work ''Th ...

. "Infinite Reflections" was commissioned by the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

and arranged for small brass ensemble

Discography

As leader

* ''Live Today'' (

, 2013) * ''The Second'' (Blue Note, 2016) * ''Color of Noize'' (Blue Note, 2020)

As group

Blue Note All Stars * ''Our Point of View'' (Blue Note, 2017) CD

As sideman

With

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

* '' Airtight's Revenge'' (Plug, 2010) – recorded in 2008–10 * '' A Love Surreal'' (eOne, 2013) With

* '' Flow'' (

, 2005) * ''Inside Man'' (Varese Sarabande, 2006) * ''

'' (Blue Note, 2007) * ''

Choices A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models. For example, a traveler might choose a route for a journey based on the preference of arriving at a given ...

'' (Concord Jazz, 2009) With

* '' Be'' (Geffen, 2005) * ''

'' (Geffen, 2007) * ''Go! Common Classics'' (Geffen, 2010) * ''

The Dreamer/The Believer ''The Dreamer/The Believer'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Common. It was released in the UK on December 19, 2011 and in the US on December 20 through Warner Bros. Records alongside Common's newly launched Think Common Music Inc. Co ...

'' (Warner Bros., 2011) * ''

Nobody's Smiling ''Nobody's Smiling'' is the tenth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Common. It was released on July 22, 2014, by Def Jam Recordings and No I.D.'s label ARTium Records. Following the release of his 2011's album ''The Dreamer/The ...

'' (Def Jam, 2014) With

* ''

Double-Booked ''Double Booked'' is an album by jazz pianist and composer Robert Glasper, released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label on August 25, 2009. The album is Glasper's third for Blue Note. Track listing All songs composed by Robert Glasper exc ...

'' (Blue Note, 2009) * '' Black Radio'' (Blue Note, 2011) * '' Black Radio 2'' (Blue Note, 2013) * '' ArtScience'' (Blue Note, 2016) * '' Fuck Yo Feelings'' (Loma Vista, 2020) With

Kenny Lattimore Kenny Lattimore (born April 10, 1970) is an American R&B singer. Early life Lattimore first developed his interest for music in the high school band program at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland. He often acknowledges Dr ...

* ''Weekend'' (Arista, 2001) * ''Uncovered/Covered'' (Verity, 2006) With Maxwell Rivera * ''BLACKsummers'night'' (Columbia, 2009) * ''blackSUMMERS'night'' (Columbia, 2016) * ''Pretty Wings'' (Columbia, 2009) With

* ''Live at Yoshi's Volume One'' (

MAXJAZZ Maxjazz (corporately styled MAXJAZZ) was an American jazz record label founded in 1998 by investment banker Richard McDonnell. Maxjazz recordings are generally regarded as a "straight-ahead" acoustic style of jazz. It was based in St. Louis, Miss ...

, 2004) * ''Live at Yoshi's Volume Two'' (MAXJAZZ, 2005) * ''Live at the Kennedy Center Volume One'' (MAXJAZZ, 2006) * ''Live at the Kennedy Center Volume Two'' (MAXJAZZ, 2007) With

Gretchen Parlato Gretchen Parlato (born February 11, 1976) is an American jazz singer. She has performed and recorded with musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Barron, Esperanza Spalding, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller and Lionel Loueke. Pa ...

* ''In a Dream'' (

ObliqSound ObliqSound is a record label in New York City. It was founded by Tobias Tanner, Michele Locatelli, and Ralf Schmid. They studied music together at the New School in Manhattan. Their intent with Obliqsound is to produce musicians with a background ...

, 2009) * ''The Lost and Found'' (ObliqSound, 2011) With others *

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wi ...

, ''Love Will Find a Way'' (Verve, 2019) *

Terri Lyne Carrington Terri Lyne Carrington (born August 4, 1965) is an American jazz drummer, composer, producer, and educator. She has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Joe Sample, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, and ma ...

, ''Waiting Game'' (Motéma, 2019) *

Freddy Cole Lionel Frederick Cole (October 15, 1931 – June 27, 2020) was an American jazz singer and pianist whose recording career spanned almost 70 years. He was the brother of musicians Nat King Cole, Eddie Cole, and Ike Cole, father of Lionel Cole, a ...

, ''This Love of Mine'' (HighNote, 2005) *

Brian Culbertson Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American smooth jazz/ R&B/ funk musician and producer. His instruments include the synthesizer, piano and trombone. Early life and career Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he ...

, ''A Soulful Christmas'' (GRP, 2006) *

, ''Floetic'' (DreamWorks, 2002) *

Vivian Green Vivian Sakiyyah Green (born May 22, 1979) is an American R&B singer-songwriter and pianist. Early life Green was born May 22, 1979 in the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, and took an interest in singing, playing the piano, and ...

, ''A Love Story'' (Columbia, 2002) * Anthony Hamilton, ''Comin' from Where I'm From'' (Arista, 2003) *

Stefon Harris Stefon DeLeon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography A native of Albany, New York, Harris intended to work for the New York Philharmonic until he heard the music of Charlie Parker. During the 1990s he recorded ...

, ''African Tarantella: Dances with Duke'' (Blue Note, 2006) *

, ''The G Spot'' (Elektra, 2002) *

Lionel Loueke Lionel Loueke (born 27 April 1973) is a guitarist and vocalist born in Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art. Biography Loueke grew up in what he has described as a family of poor intellectuals in the W ...

, ''Heritage'' (Blue Note, 2012) * Q-Tip, ''

The Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

'' (Universal Motown, 2008) – recorded in 2003–08 *

Karriem Riggins Karriem Riggins is an American jazz drummer, hip hop producer, DJ and songwriter. Biography Riggins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, son of keyboardist Emmanuel Riggins. As a child, he would often watch his father perform with G ...

, ''Headnod Suite'' (Stones Throw, 2017) *

Kendrick Scott Kendrick Scott (born July 8, 1980 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American jazz drummer, bandleader, and composer. He is the founder of the record label World Culture Music. Biography Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston. ...

, ''Reverence'' (Criss Cross, 2010) – recorded in 2008 *

, ''New Beginnings'' (MAXJAZZ, 2003) *

Helen Sung Helen Sung is an American jazz pianist. Music career Sung is a native of Houston, Texas, and is of Chinese heritage. She attended Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and went on to receive undergraduate and master's degrees ...

, ''Helenistique'' (Fresh Sound, 2006) – recorded in 2005 *

, ''Live at Marihans'' (Chiaroscuro, 2005) CD– live recorded in 2004

References

External links

Official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Derrick 1979 births 21st-century American composers American double-bassists Male double-bassists American male composers American male bass guitarists Grammy Award winners Guitarists from Philadelphia Living people 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American male musicians