If you haven't already heard (Okay-fam's got no excuse,) everyone's favorite drummer and band-leader Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots and new wave pioneer Elvis Costello released their highly anticipated collaboration Wise Up Ghost yesterday to much praise and adoration.Taking a moment in what is no doubt a righteous press cycle, the two pillars gave Billboard a curt interview drenched in mutuality on the evolution of the unusual project. While some could only dream of a joint effort featuring these bread-winners, the two mammoth musicians and personalities offered us a bit of insight into what others might consider an odd-couple team-up.
Those well versed in Ahmir's many "forbidden" musical pleasures, know that he is a man who possesses the utmost regard for those artists who can only be described as the most prolific of songwriters in their eras(Marvin Gaye, Prince, Bruce Springsteen and the like.) Being the devoted and virtually unparalleled student/researcher/teacher that he is, Ahmir's admiration of Costello and yearning to collaborate seems fitting, if not outright earned.
"To me he's a remarkable poet. Someone I've always been a fan of for forever, so you know, to work with him, to me is beyond my wildest expectations. This is the ultimate bucket list check"-Questlove on Costello
In the brief interview, Quest divulges the manner in which the project was conceived, stemming from Costello's performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon earlier in the year. Delving into how the thought grew from a five track EP and came to be a full length album, the group synthesized Costello's older writings and more contemporary ones in a Joe Tex like compositional rawness. And in what must have seemed like no time at all, the tandem proved how an inescapable chemistry on-stage can lead to an absolute triumph in the studio.
Cop the album via iTunes or Amazon and check out our recap from Monday night's monumental performance at the Brooklyn Bowl.
