Hodge Becomes One-Man Band for New Blue Note Album The Second

  I  
Image

Derrick Hodge’s sophomore album, The Second, will be released Aug. 26 on Blue Note Records.

(Photo: )

On Aug. 26, bassist Derrick Hodge will release The Second, his sophomore album for Blue Note Records. The album finds the two-time Grammy winner taking on the roles of producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, with Hodge forgoing a conventional band approach in favor of playing all of the instruments himself.

A handful of special guests will help enliven Hodge’s largely solo effort. Drummer Mark Colenburg, formerly of bands led by Kenny Garrett and Lizz Wright, appears on three tracks. Keyon harrold, who provided the sound of Miles Davis’ trumpet for the biopic Miles Ahead, appears on one track in a horn section with trombonist Corey King and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland.

For Hodge, the album is as much a personal statement as it is a declaration of gratitude for the fans and artists of the jazz community.

“I wanted to create something that exposed myself artistically, with a heartbeat for the people,” said Hodge. “My hope is for this sound to uplift people, help them get through whatever, and show that I’m all in for creating music for the rest of my life and career.”

After years as a band member in groups led by trumpeter Terence Blanchard, keyboardist Robert Glasper, rapper Common and r&b singers Jill Scott and Maxwell, Hodge stepped into the leader role with the 2013 release of Live Today, his acclaimed debut album.

With The Second, Hodge continues to refine his sleek, groove-oriented style, which weaves together jazz and hip-hop, while at the same time broadening his musical scope. The 12-track program is available for pre-order now on CD or digital download. Fans who pre-order the download will immediately receive the title track, which is also available as a single on streaming services.



  • Coltrane_John_008_copy_2.jpg

    “This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.

  • 2tx3p_BNJF2025LineupApr11080x1350--1_copy.jpg

    The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.

  • Ethan_Iverson_by_David_Moressi_2024_copy.jpg

    “I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.

  • Isaiah_Collier_by_Michael_Jackson_2025.jpg

    “At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”

  • Andy_Bey_NYC_2014_by_Steven_Sussman_copy.jpg

    “It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”

    Vocalist Andy Bey Dies at 85

    Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…


On Sale Now
June 2025
Theo Croker
Look Inside
Subscribe
Print | Digital | iPad