Robert Glasper has seemingly endless creativity and drive. The pianist, producer, and arranger has released nearly 20 albums; he's written or produced music for the likes of Herbie Hancock, Common, and Brittany Howard; and he's scored several films, including the 2019 documentary The Apollo about the famed Harlem theater. Though Glasper is rooted in jazz, he can shift between styles, sounds, and collaborative settings with the fluidity of molten metal.

Glasper demonstrates his versatility and ambition in the four albums he's released in 2024. In June, he leaned into his relaxed, meditative side with Let Go, which invites you to unwind and reset. Two months later, he explored a crucial ancestral through line in Black American music with Code Derivation -- jazz helped pave the way for hip-hop with its cool, urbane sounds and boundary-defying experimentations, and the two styles continue to respond to and shape each other. To unpack that relationship, the record includes two versions of most of its songs -- a live studio cut featuring Glasper and his band, followed by a remix (guest producers include Black Milk, Hi-Tek, and Glasper's son, Riley). October's Keys to the City: Volume One captures Glasper's energy and magnetism by compiling performances from several years of his annual Robtober residency at New York's famous Blue Note club (for the 2024 edition, he played 49 shows in 25 nights spread over five weeks). And the brand-new In December mixes twinkling holiday classics such as the "Joy to the World" (with vocals from R&B singer Alex Isley, daughter of Ernie Isley) and original songs that address the holiday through a modern lens that scuffs up the usual sentimentality and nostalgia. On "Memories With Mama," guest singer Tarriona "Tank" Ball honors Black mothers who work overtime and max out credit cards to put a smile on their kids' faces at Christmas.