A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a collaboration between 1800 Tequila and Billboard. They teamed up with New Orleans's own Christian Scott, who recruited Vic Mensa for a project blending Scott's jazz and Mensa's hip-hop. They recruited talent from New Orleans, Chicago, and New York to form a collective. They called it "The Refined Players" and and recorded an original track together.
When asked to comment, Scott said he was looking for "up-and-coming, raw talent." With Mensa on board, Scott selected Joe Dyson, Elena Pinderhughes, and Derrick Hodge to complete their new group and refine their sound. "We wanted to create a space, a sonic landscape, to make great music in."
This past October, The Refined Players played a private concert and debuted their new music at historic Preservation Hall in the French Quarter.
The entire journey is chronicled in Billboard's “Refined Players” Series. The five-part documentary is the latest of 1800 Tequila's musical collaborations.
Check out the trailer below. Beneath it is a link to the first episode of the series. The track drops on billboard.com in early December.
Andrew Marin writes about food, cocktails, and all things New Orleans for Where Y’at Magazine. Follow him @ndrewmarin on Instagram for live stories and photos.
