derrick hodge

Biography

Derrick Hodge was born on July 5, 1979, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Willingboro, New Jersey. His musical education began at home — his mother, a choir director, introduced him to cross-genre radio listening nightly, laying the foundation for his eclectic ear. He began on drums at age two, moved to electric guitar around age six, and switched to bass simply because it was the only open chair in his elementary school band. Entirely self-taught on upright bass, he taught himself by adapting his electric technique through observation while in his junior high orchestra. He went on to study jazz composition and performance at Temple University in Philadelphia, though he was already touring professionally — as bassist and eventually musical director for Jill Scott — while still in college.

Hodge emerged as one of the defining bass voices of the neo-soul and jazz-crossover movements of the 2000s. He became the go-to bassist and musical director for a remarkable range of artists simultaneously — Maxwell, Jill Scott, Floetry, and Musiq Soulchild in R&B, and Terence Blanchard in jazz. His work on Common's landmark album Be (2005) drew widespread acclaim, with his bassline later ranked among the top 20 in hip-hop history. He played on Maxwell's BLACKsummers'night (2009), which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for Best R&B Album. As a core member of the Robert Glasper Experiment, he contributed to Black Radio (2012) and Black Radio 3 (2022), both Grammy-winning albums. He also became a foundational voice in the jazz collective R+R=Now alongside Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Taylor McFerrin, and Justin Tyson. In 2014, he made history as the first Black composer to arrange hip-hop for the National Symphony Orchestra, conducting the 20th anniversary symphonic performance of Nas's Illmatic at the Kennedy Center — the first hip-hop performance by that orchestra.

Signed to Blue Note Records in 2011, Hodge has released three solo albums: Live Today (2013), The Second (2016), and Color of Noize (2020). His solo work blends Philadelphia jazz, gospel harmony, hip-hop rhythm, and classical orchestral texture, prioritizing emotional honesty over technical display. He has been commissioned by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, arranged for the 94th Academy Awards and Super Bowl LVI, and holds the Motif Award for child advocacy — donating symphonic scores to HBCUs and inner-city music programs. He later relocated to Denver, Colorado, where he has continued composing and community work.

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Fun Facts

• He started playing drums at age two — before any string instrument. His switch from guitar to bass was entirely pragmatic: bass was the only open seat in his elementary school concert band.
• He was entirely self-taught on upright bass, adapting his electric technique through observation while sitting in his junior high orchestra — he had no formal instruction on the instrument.
• In 2014, he became the first Black composer to arrange hip-hop for the National Symphony Orchestra, when he orchestrated the 20th anniversary performance of Nas's Illmatic at the Kennedy Center — also the first time hip-hop had ever been performed by that orchestra.
• He recorded much of his album Color of Noize (2020) almost entirely on first takes, presenting songs to the band via piano and voice — the musicians had never heard the material before entering the studio. One track on the album was originally composed when he was nineteen years old, on a BOSS Loop Station.

Associated Acts

• Blue Note All‐Stars
• R+R=NOW
• Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars - bass
• Chris Dave and The Drumhedz

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Terence Blanchard - Primary film-scoring mentor; Hodge worked directly under Blanchard on multiple Spike Lee film scores including Inside Man and A Tale of God's Will [2000s]
• Christian McBride - Bass studies and influence [Early career]
• James Poyser - Early mentor and career advocate in the Philadelphia neo-soul scene [Late 1990s–2000s]
• Mulgrew Miller - Jazz mentorship and collaboration during Hodge's early career [2000s]

Key Collaborators

• Robert Glasper - Core member of the Robert Glasper Experiment; co-founder of jazz collective R+R=Now (Black Radio (2012), Black Radio 3 (2022)) [2010s–2020s]
• Common - Bassist on two of Common's landmark albums (Be (2005), Finding Forever (2007)) [2005–2007]
• Maxwell - Bass player and musical director for Maxwell (BLACKsummers'night (2009)) [2009–2019]
• Jill Scott - Bass player and musical director; toured with Scott while still in high school and college [Late 1990s–2000s]
• Nas - Arranged and conducted the National Symphony Orchestra for the 20th anniversary symphonic performance of Illmatic at the Kennedy Center (Illmatic at Kennedy Center (2014))
• Terrace Martin - Co-member of jazz collective R+R=Now [2010s–2020s]
• Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Co-member of jazz collective R+R=Now [2010s–2020s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz