Questlove’s ‘Philly-Paris Lockdown’ On World Cafe
LISTEN: Questlove\’s \’Philly-Paris Lockdown\’ On World Cafe
Questlove, born Ahmir Khalib Thompson, is the renowned drummer of Grammy-winning Philadelphia band The Roots, but that’s just the beginning. He’s also a DJ, journalist and record producer. He’s worked with Common, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Jay-Z, Bilal… the list goes on and on. And, of course, he’s on network television almost every weeknight as the leader of the house band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
On April 17, Questlove teamed up with Parisian star Keren Ann to present “Philly-Paris Lockdown,” a one-night celebration of 1900s Paris that took place at this year’s Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. Keren Ann is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer and songwriter with six solo albums to her credit. Her recent 101 has already attracted acclaim for its subtle intricacies and strong storytelling.
For “Philly-Paris Lockdown,” Questlove and Keren Ann were joined by a slew of artists to present an event awash in jazz, classical and hip-hop styles. The collaboration reworks compositions from Satie, Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky.
In this edition of World Cafe, host David Dye sits down with ?uestlove to discuss the project and play highlights from the evening.
