Kassa Overall

Kassa Overall (born 9 October 1982) is an American jazz drummer, producer, rapper and bandleader.[1]

Kassa Overall
Background information
Birth nameKassa Purush Overall
Born (1982-10-09) 9 October 1982
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • Drummer
  • Producer
  • Rapper
Instrument(s)Drums
Labels
Websitekassaoverall.com

History

He was born and raised in Seattle, and attended Garfield High School, where several notable musicians have also attended including Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones.[2] He started playing drums as a toddler after his parents gifted his older brother a drum set.[3]

Overall went on to study percussion at the Oberlin Conservatory. As an undergraduate at Oberlin, Overall once confronted faculty that endorsed his jazz studies but disapproved of his passion for hip-hop beat making. Also while in college, he experienced manic episodes that required brief hospitalization and led to him being put on medication.[4] His lyrics often document his own mental health struggles, as well as the realities of living as a Black man within the American criminal-justice system.[1]

Overall lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York for almost fifteen years. While living there, he played with numerous notable jazz figures including Christian McBride, Ravi Coltrane and the late pianist Geri Allen.[5] For a brief stint he played in Jon Batiste's band on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[6]

He has also contributed drums to songs for Yoko Ono and dabbled as a rapper and producer, including collaborations with Francis and the Lights and Das Racist.[1]

In 2019, he self-released his debut album, Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz. He was motivated to release his first solo work after the passing of Roy Hargrove, who appears on a track on the album. The album also features other artists including Arto Lindsay, Theo Croker and Carmen Lundy, among others.[6]

His second album I THINK I'M GOOD was released in 2020 through Gilles Peterson's label Brownswood Recordings. The album again featured appearances from artists in Overall's community including Vijay Iyer, Brandee Younger and Angela Davis.[1]

In 2023, Overall was featured in The New York Times’ overview of 21st Century Jazz Music. In the article, fellow drummer and Grammy Award-winner Terri Lyne Carrington highlights Overall as one of her favorite artists of the new millennium. She describes him as a “pre-eminent style bender and blender, successfully juxtaposing genres through his production expertise and use of melodic and harmonic forms that deftly integrate the new with the old.”[7]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz
  • Released: January 11, 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: LP, digital download
I THINK I'M GOOD
  • Released: February 28, 2020
  • Label: Brownswood Recordings
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
ANIMALS
  • Released: May 26, 2023
  • Label: Warp
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download

Mixtapes

Title Details
SHADES OF FLU
  • Released: May 20, 2020
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Streaming
SHADES OF FLU 2
  • Released: April 02, 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Streaming
SHADES 3
  • Released: February 03, 2023
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Streaming

References

  1. Orlov, Piotr. "Kassa Overall: I Think I'm Good". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  2. "Seattle-raised Kassa Overall is one of jazz's thrilling new-school adventurers". The Seattle Times. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  3. Uitti, Jacob (2020-02-27). "Kassa Overall Celebrates Songwriting on 'I Think I'm Good'". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  4. Blumenfeld, Larry. "'I Think I'm Good' by Kassa Overall Review: Hip-Hop in the Jazz Club". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  5. Moon, Tom (March 10, 2020). "On 'I Think I'm Good,' Kassa Overall Expands The Realm Of Jazz/Hip-Hop Fusion". NPR. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  6. "Kassa Overall's Debut Defies Playlist Culture". Downbeat.com. 2019-04-10. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  7. Russonello, Giovanni (2023-02-01). "Five Minutes That Will Make You Love 21st-Century Jazz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
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