washerman's dog: Hip Hop

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Jazzamattaz: Guru

A couple days ago the Washerman’s Dog posted an album of Indian music called Gurus in Collaboration. That got me thinking about the original Guru who lived for Collaboration. Keith Edward Elam was an innovative early hip hop artist who spent much of his career as one half of the duo that was Gang Starr. Though Guru (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) had a hit and miss career as far as popular and critical success goes, he had significant influence on the development of the genre and never shied away from pushing the envelope of collaboration and experimentation.

Guru

The connections between hip hop and jazz have often been noted. I remember in the very early days of ‘rap’ music reading an interview with Miles Davis who flagged the form as having the potential to be as significant as jazz on the American and global music scene. In fact, he saw it as the next logical step of the development of jazz. And you only need to listen to the music of Gil Scott Heron to hear how neatly the two styles can be blended.

Yet before Guru released Jazzamatazz Vol 1 in 1993 very little direct collaboration (as opposed to sampling) between jazz musicians and hip hop artists had been put to record. Guru brought together a French DJ (MC Solaar), a singer from an acid jazz vocalist (N’Dea Davenport) and a swag of top shelf jazz men (Donald Byrd on trumpet, Brandon Marsalis on trombone, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith and Ronny Jordan) to create a truly unique musical experience. In away this intelligent elegant record made hip hop ‘ok’ for jazz fans and vice versa. It is a great record and was followed by irregularly with Vol 2 and 3 but those never achieved the impact of this initial collection.

Sadly, Guru passed away a year ago at the tender age of 43.

Track Listing:

01. Introduction

02. Loungin’ (Feat. Donald Byrd)

03. When You’re Near (Feat. N’dea Davenport)

04. Transit Ride (Feat. Branford Marsalis)

05. No Time to Play (Feat. Ronny Jordan and Dee. C. Lee)

06. Down the Backstreets (Feat. Lonnie Liston Smith)

07. Respectful Dedications

08. Take a Look at Yourself (Feat. Roy Ayers)

09. Trust Me (Feat. N’dea Davenport)

10. Slicker than Most (Feat. Gary Barnacle)

11. Le Bein, Le Mal (Feat. MC Solaar)

12. Sights of the City (Feat. Courtney Pine)

Listen here.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Grandfathers of Hip Hop: The Watts Prophets

With the passing of Gil Scott Heron the net is alive with references to his being the “grandfather of hip hop”. The New York Times ended its obituary with a quote from GSH himself that sets the record straight: “[rap is] something that’s aimed at the kids. I have kids, so I listen to it. But I would not say it’s aimed at me. I listen to the jazz station.”

Along with Gil, commentators are (correctly) pointing out that there were other grandfathers responsible for hip hop, most notably The Last Poets, a band of urban street poets from Harlem who "With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop."

The Watts Prophets

Less feted, less famous and hailing from the other great African American con-urbation on the other side of the American continent, south central Los Angeles, the Watts Prophets, also played a huge role in raising black consciousness, exposing the nightmarish aspects of the American dream and generally, freaking people out with their uncompromising, ballsy rap. With poems like, Fucked (My name is fucked/fucked/ I was given that name because of my luck/you might think its cool/but I’ll break all your windows as soon as you move) and Amerikkka, a litany of famous African Americans who have died in less than dignified circumstances in ‘one nation under God’, it is hard not to feel your knees quiver slightly. Especially, when you consider these raps were first put out in 1969!

Put this record on and sit back and listen to it without leaving your seat. It’s the only way.

Hip hop ain’t got nothin’ on these granddads.