Maxwell w/ Jill Scott

With his 1996 debut Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, Maxwell helped establish mellow, groove-based neo-soul as a commercially viable alternative to the more dance-based R&B of the time, but after his 2001 album, Now, he willfully retreated from the spotlight for some extended downtime. It took eight years, but he returned in top form on 2009’s BLACKsummers’night, an elegant, utterly gorgeous record that swiftly returned the singer to the airwaves and earned him a pair of Grammys. His profile higher than ever, he’ll share tonight’s show with opener Jill Scott, the neo-soul everywoman who is performing in advance of her upcoming album The Light of the Sun.