The Roots with Ornette Coleman

Royal Festival Hall, LondonIt seems fitting that Philadelphia hip-hoppers the Roots should help kick off Ornette Coleman's Meltdown festival. Like Coleman, they've worked with guitarist James Blood Ulmer; like Coleman, they feature a nerdy-looking white bassist; like Coleman, they're not afraid to play with unusual lineups (including, at one point, a sousaphone) and explore the outer reaches of the avant garde (check out 2002's Phrenology).They began their set defiantly, with pugilistic rapper B...

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