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You Could Have Stayed (Piano Version) [feat. Jahari Stampley]

Derrick Hodge’s debut recording is a showcase of his widely respected versatility and melodic sensitivity, creating a unique sound all his own. Hodge represents something inventive and refreshing, fronting the wave of a unique generation of renaissance musicians working across all genres without borders. This release is a mosaic composed of what is now and where he comes from, representing the new and respecting the classic. His music creeps into the soul and flirts with the imagination, leaving an unforgettable mark.

Hodge has spent his youthful career transcending between various styles of Hip-Hop, Gospel, R&B, Funk, Singer/ Songwriter, and Jazz, performing and/or recording with an impressive roster of GRAMMY® nominated and awarded artists including Maxwell, Common, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Timbaland, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Bilal, Gerald Levert, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Sade, Terence Blanchard, Mulgrew Miller, Clark Terry, Donald Byrd, and many more.

In 2008, he was commissioned to write a piece by the Chicago Symphony entitled “Infinite Reflections”, and was selected to be a part of the Sundance Composer Lab. Hodge currently performs as a solo artist in front of sold out crowds at diverse venues including Summerstage and Blue Note Jazz Club, maintains a steady career as a film composer, and serves as the Musical Director for Maxwell.

“Live Today is the way I chose to begin my story as a solo artist. It is a melting pot of sound and emotions, and is how I decided to capture my thoughts at that moment in time. There were many directions that this record could have went, but I chose to give people what was on my mind in a very raw, unedited way. Live Today is about acceptance, being in the moment while paying respect to those that came before me, and about writing music that feels good to me.”