Jazz supergroup Dinner Party has announced a new album titled "Watchu Bringing?" arriving August 7th. The collective brings together pianist Robert Glasper, saxophonist Kamasi Washington, saxophonist and producer Terrace Martin, and hip-hop producer 9th Wonder, four musicians who have each shaped contemporary jazz and soul music over the past decade.
Glasper remains the genre's most commercially visible figure, with his 2012 album "Black Radio" introducing jazz to hip-hop audiences and spawning collaborations across genres. Washington established himself as jazz's most ambitious voice with sprawling orchestral works like "The Epic" and "Harmony of Difference." Martin straddles jazz and R&B as both session musician and producer, while 9th Wonder has spent two decades crafting the production template for conscious hip-hop.
The supergroup concept itself represents a shift in how jazz markets itself to younger listeners. Rather than traditional jazz institutions, Dinner Party reaches audiences through streaming platforms and social media, positioning the genre alongside contemporary R&B and hip-hop rather than as a separate legacy category. This approach has proven commercially viable. Their 2017 debut "Dinner Party" performed well on jazz charts and streaming playlists, introducing a generation to players who might otherwise remain confined to jazz festivals and specialist audiences.
"Watchu Bringing?" signals the group's commitment to the project beyond a one-off collaboration. Album titles in this sphere matter. The question itself invites participation, echoing the casual, social nature of the actual dinner parties from which the group draws its name. The release suggests jazz remains elastic enough to accommodate hip-hop producers, R&B sensibilities, and avant-garde classical arrangements within a single project, without sacrificing any component for commercial appeal.