From their newest album, Come As You Are, producer Terrace Martin and singer Kenyon Dixon are bringing genres together on “Only Real Ones Survive.” The two South LA natives will also play at the new Blue Note Jazz Club location in LA on Aug. 19 and 20.
Martin has a prolific output, which includes other collaborative albums with artists like Alex Isley – as well as his supergroup, Dinner Party (alongside Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, and 9th Wonder) – and he’s adding to that list with Come As You Are. As for Dixon, he’s hot off a Grammy nomination, one of three overall, for “Can I Have This Groove” after years of working as a songwriter and backing singer.
“Only Real Ones Survive” finds Dixon singing passionately about all things LA over production that bridges the gap between hip-hop and jazz. While the connection between the genres is already strong, the noticeably grungy atmosphere juxtaposed with Dixon’s vocals, otherwise befitting of an R&B song but still right at home on the song, shows how dynamic a producer Martin is.
Of course, Dixon is the one steering “Only Real Ones Survive” forward, serving as a guiding light through the boom-bap instrumental that could have easily been given to an experienced lyricist. Instead, the result is an intersection of sounds where the two’s talents are on full display, making their collaboration stand out in a sea of producers and singers across genres.
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Of their new album, Come As You Are, Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon shared the following.
“Come As You Are” is a mixture and a sonic picture of the true roots of Los Angeles Jazz, R&B & Hip-Hop,” said Martin. “From the soul of Watts to the heart of the Crenshaw District I feel we have painted the best piece for its time.”
“Come As You Are” is about freedom in every sense, creative freedom, cultural freedom, and personal freedom. Me and Terrace came up in different environments, but we were both raised in that balance between the church and the city,” Kenyon says. “It shaped us. This album is what happens when you stop trying to compartmentalize who you are and just let it all live in the music. The spirit, the soul, the streets, the musicianship—it’s all there. No labels, no boxes. Just real expression. That’s the point. You don’t need permission. Just show up as yourself.”
See Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon in LA at Blue Note on Aug. 19 and 20, with set times each evening at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM.
Visit Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon on their respective Instagram accounts to stay updated on new releases and tour dates.
Listen to “Only Real Ones Survive,” the new single from Terrace Martin and Kenyon Dixon.
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