On Saturday, the world famous Carnegie Hall played host to the Mos Def Big Band with special guest Gil Scott-Heron as part of the JVC Jazz Festial New York.  From carnegiehall.org:

“Already a wildly successful vocalist, musician, and actor, Mos Def has taken the next logical step with the creation of the Mos Def Band, rolling hip hop, jazz, and soul into one thrilling sound. Special guest Gil Scott-Heron first made his name decades ago with his no-nonsense anthem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” Together, the two artists have created an evening of music and spoken words with material drawn from Miles Davis, Beyoncé, James Brown, and others.”

One of said “others” was Jay Electronica, who Mos gave serious props to with an acepella version of the second verse from “Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)” followed by the orchestra playing a piece of Michel Gondry‘s Eternal Sunshine composition.  Listen/Download and view the full photo gallery from Terrence Jennings after the jump.

Mos Def  – Verse 2 from Jay Electronica’s “Act 1: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge)”
Download/Listen: http://www.zshare.net/audio/14439663d264fdfc/

Props to Highvoltage, the hip-hop taper, who also posted a play-by-play of songs performed at the show on the boards.  Check back tomorrow for a write up and photos from the after-party.  If you dont already have “Act 1″… shame on you!  It’s only the finest piece of lyricism so far this decade, IMO.  Get it from FWMJ and please, pay attention.  Are you watching closely?

All photos © 2008 Terrence Jennings

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