Day 140: Guru – Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 (1993)

Written by 365AAY on March 6th, 2010

Summary:

by Abid

*Over a solo tribal sounding horn, the narrator speaks*

“Peace yo, and welcome to “Jazzmattazz”. An experimental fusion of Hip-Hop and live Jazz. I’m your host the Guru, that stands for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. Now I’ve always thought about doing something like this, but I didn’t wanna do it unless it was done right. Cause Hip-Hop, black music, its real. It’s a musical, cultural expression based on reality. And at the same time Jazz is real, and based on reality. So I wanna let you know that it was indeed a blessing and an honor to work on such a project with so many amazing people. For instance, I got Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Branford Marsalis, Ronny Jordan, N’Dea Davenport, Courtney Pine and MC Solaar all in the house… So without further delay I say to you; listen and enjoy, and check it out.” – Keith Elam

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*Over a solo tribal sounding horn, the narrator speaks*

Whether you are curious for a sound that is self-consciously avant garde while also accessible, or if you just want to kick back to some relaxing rhythms this should certainly interest you. The “Jazzmatazz” series is MC Guru’s passion project that began in the early 90′s and has made it to a 4th edition which was released in 2007. As you can see his ambition was unabashed as he took to recruiting some of the finest Jazz musicians to lay the musical foundation for a unique blend of genre’s. Albeit this was not the first album to align the vast sounds of Jazz with Hip-Hop, it was unique in its execution of it. As Guru says, live Jazz music is played beneath the MC’s rhymes so you get an experience that is purely Jazz and purely Hip-Hop.

While his partner in crime DJ Premier would use extremely skillful and precise chops to craft the beats that were to be tamed by the MC, here Guru lets the music breathe and take on a life of its own. Just look at “Loungin”, a song with deep vibrations and subtle, liberated horns that respire as they please. The albums standout track that features a talk in the end where Guru details the unlikely breakthrough of Hip-Hop music. Here the album’s central theme is very apparent because this is as much an experimental alignment of two different sounds as it is an exploration of its origins.

“Yea so like I was saying, it was real smooth workin’ with this squad of people, musicians and vocalists…it was like a connection or vibe or whatever you want to call it. Cause these are people I will never forget, cause they’re deep, word is bond.” – Keith Elam

Of course the album features the signature style of singing that Jazz brought forth to us. This is most gracefully displayed on the track “Trust Me” with Carleen Anderson on the vocals. This allows it to have a unique back and forth dialogue; it has a feeling that is far from corny and much more grown and mature. The topics explored on the whole record are usually on the mature side however it does feature some of Guru’s trademark braggadocio lines. Although when these lines make an appearance, like on “Slicker Than Most”, it seems to fit because the music is usually incorporating Acid Jazz; the more brash variation of Jazz music. Another track like this is “Le Bien, Le Mal”, which features the French rapper MC Solaar. If you let the music consume you, it won’t matter that you can’t understand the seemingly interesting raps that he is kicking at you in various speeds.

There are plenty of reasons that this is a good time to put this in your speaker system. For some it could be a nostalgic look back, for others it could be a vital discovery. But most importantly, this is a time where not only do we need Guru in our ears, but also in our hearts and minds.