[ALT JAZZ] Kassa Overall [USA]

We are happy to announce a new [ALT JAZZ] series event: The USA Grammy-nominated jazz artist, drummer, emcee, singer and producer Kassa Overall comes live in Control on Monday, May 11, promoting his latest album ‘CREEAM’ released on Warp Records. 

Kassa seamlessly blends jazz, hip-hop and avant-garde experimentation into a sound uniquely his own. His music is both innovative and accessible, pushing the boundaries of genre while remaining deeply engaging. About ‘CREEAM’, he shares: “This album is almost a boomerang response to all my previous work. No edits, no overdubs, no samples or drum machines. Just a great group of musicians playing together. It just so happens that the compositional material we are drawing from is rap records I grew up on.”

‘CREEAM’ was fueled by years of non-stop touring and the need to whittle down Overall’s elaborate electronic-driven stage setup in favour of something simpler. While his previous solo projects relied heavily on drum machines, micro-edited programmed sounds, Ableton Live, and samples, ‘CREEAM’ utilizes Rudy Van Gelder-style sound engineering in the vein of classic jazz recordings like Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue or John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, with performances recorded in the same room with little separation, no overdubs, and no edits. 

“CREAM isn’t just covers—it’s a full-on reimagining of hip-hop through jazz, digging into the musical guts and soul of both,” Overall explains. “It’s a fresh take on how these genres talk to each other—not just a collision, but a conversation that’s been brewing since the ‘90s.” 

Reversing the convention of rap albums sampling jazz, Kassa pulls off another backflip in a stunning career arc, illustrating his mastery as a producer, drummer and arranger who aggressively mines the continuum between jazz and hip-hop from every angle without any shortcuts.

The show is produced in partnership with Black Rhino Radio.

* Children ages 7 and under have free access with a parent holding a valid ticket. Protective headphones are recommended.

** Children up to 16 years old need a valid ticket and must be accompanied by a parent with a valid ticket.

*** Minors aged 16 to 18 years old have access with a valid ticket.

**** Serving and alcohol consumption are strictly forbidden for all minors.