CD Odyssey Disc 839: Guru

Another day trying to get healthy and meet deadlines at the same time. I’m knackered.

Disc 839 is….Jazzmatazz Volume 1

Artist: Guru

Year of Release: 1993

What’s up with the Cover? The Guru himself, breathing smoke out of his nose and looking cool. Also he has listed all of his jazz collaborators on the front cover, in a fitting show of solidarity and also cool.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Casey introduced me to this album and with it a whole journey into not only the music of Guru, but of his original rap band Gang Starr as well. Thanks, Casey!

How It Stacks Up:  Guru did four Jazzmatazz albums. I once owned three of them, but Volume 3 (reviewed back at Disc 631) it scared me off getting the fourth. Of the three I own (or have owned) Volume 1 is far and away the best.

Ratings: 4 stars

Whenever I listen to “Jazzmatazz: Volume 1” I find myself wishing jazz could always be like this; providing a little flavour around the edges of an actual song but not wrecking it. Jazz is the millwork that dreamed it was the entire building.

Guru knows better – jazz needs musical boundaries as a backdrop to showcase its creativity. In his words (spoken in the album’s introduction), Jazzmatazz:

“…is an experimental fusion of hip hop and live jazz. Hip hop, rap music, is real. Real cultural expression based on reality and at the same time jazz is real and based on reality.”

Hmm. Guru’s quote is a little too focused on keeping it ‘real’. Fortunately, musically he is much better at creating the fusion of jazz and rap than he is at describing it.

“Jazzmatazz” is an album where Guru gathers old school and new school jazz musicians alike and marries their talents to original rap songs. The result is a what jazz fusion would sound like if it were fused with something good. The songs on “Jazzmatazz” are grounded in hip-hop beats and Guru’s measured, smooth raps. The jazz musicians provide the flair around the edges without disrupting the core of the song.

This works perfectly. Rap relies on a constant understanding of a song’s underlying beat, while the vocalist plays around that beat with his phrasing Jazz is very similar, but it is the musician noodling around on top of the beat. Both musical forms rely on syncopation in different ways, and when combined they come off as natural friends.

Guru’s smooth rap style is the perfect accompaniment. By sliding in and out of his rhymes in such a round and relaxed way, he gives his jazz collaborators the freedom to come in and out and fill out the song’s sound without feeling intrusive. The album’s ever-present hip hop beat grounds vocalist and musical soloist with equal success.

Thematically, these songs have a definitive urban flair and many feel like they were inspired by the New York subway system. “Transit Ride” reminds you to watch the closing doors and “No Time To Play” captures the feverish intensity of people on their daily commute. The jazz flairs are the perfect urban accompaniment to the themes. Sometimes it is a touch of Lonnie Liston Smith’s piano here and there (“Down the Backstreets”) other times it is a shade of Donald Byrd’s trumpet (“Loungin’”) but Guru always seems to choose the right partner for each song.

On “When You’re Near” and “Trust Me” he brings in soul/acid jazz vocalist N’Dea Davenport. These are two of my favourite tracks. Nowadays it is commonplace for a rap act to incorporate a soul singer to belt out a hook for their song, but it often feels like an empty manipulation to make a boring song more likeable. On “When You’re Near” and “Trust Me” N’Dea Davenport’s vocal doesn’t feel tacked on, it feels integral to the song’s development.

Despite all the jazz flourishes this record rarely feels frantic or overstuffed. In fact, tracks like “Loungin’” and “Down the Backstreets” are chill and relaxed. I think it helps that this is still early enough in the development of rap that the arrangements remain sparse and focused on vocal delivery, leaving space for the jazz to explore.

This album just exudes cool, and I admit the flourishes of jazz around the edges has a lot to do with that. Branford Marsalis, whose saxophone annoyed me on Sting’s solo albums was a welcome addition on “Jazzmatazz.” Context (and restraint) is everything.

Although Guru would go on to release three more Jazzmatazz albums, he would never recapture the perfect mix of dope beats and jazz noodle that he captured on “Volume 1.” This album finds the perfect middle ground between two musical cousins, and then gives them the freedom to dance together.

Best tracks:  Loungin’, When You’re Near, No Time To Play, Take a Look (At Yourself), Trust Me, Slicker Than Most

CD Odyssey Disc 631: Guru

I’m in the middle of reading Steve Earle’s novel, “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” Those who read this blog know I think very highly of Earle as a singer/songwriter and he isn’t a bad novelist either. It gives me hope that I can have a second career as a novelist as well. For now, I’ll just do another blog entry.

Disc 631 is….Jazzmatazz 3: Streetsoul

Artist: Guru

Year of Release: 2000

What’s up with the Cover? Guru looking cool out on the street, his pencil-thin hipster moustache ten years ahead of its time. Fun fact – if you could pan the picture up and to the right, you’d see Pink Floyd’s floating pig above that factory building in the background. OK, maybe not.

How I Came To Know It: My friend Casey originally put me on to Guru’s Jazzmatazz series – this was just me buying another entry in the catalogue.

How It Stacks Up:  I have three Guru albums, all from his ‘Jazzmatazz’ series. “Streetsoul” is admittedly my least favourite.

Rating:  2 stars

The introductory track to Jazzmatazz 3: Streetsoul bills itself as “One of the hottest blends of hip hop, soul, R&B and jazz ever.” This would apply nicely to Guru’s first Jazzmatazz album released back in 1993, but it is an overly bold claim the third entry in the series.

Guru (short for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) is one half of the amazing rap duo “Gang Starr” and also one of the most insightful vocalists in music. His intellect shines through on Gang Starr albums and he carries that through easily to his collaborations with other artists on all the albums in the Jazzmatazz series as well. The first in the series, which came out in 1993 was a classic album, ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, “Streetsoul” doesn’t stand as tall. Guru’s efforts to fuse jazz into his music is muted here, replaced with collaborations with various other hip hop artists. There is nothing wrong with hip hop collaborations, and “Streetsoul” has some exceptional artists (among them Macy Gray, Donell Jones and Erykah Badu) but the only true jazz musician that I could identify was Herbie Hancock.

By 2000 it feels like the whole ‘Guy X featuring Girl Y” thing was well on its way, and while it can make magic moments (think Eminem and Dido on “Stan”) often it just feels like empty pop music.

I will give Guru credit for rarely letting his lyrics descend into empty pop territory. In fact, he is typically very good at using his slow conversational rap style to deliver important personal and social messages. I wish there were more rappers taking risks like Guru, and I wish he hadn’t been taken from us so soon (dying of cancer in 2010).

That said, talking about important topics is not enough – you need to have innovative raps, and songs that hold my attention, and there just aren’t enough of these on “Streetsoul.”

There are some highpoints, among them the Angie Stone collaboration on “Keep Your Worries” which has a funky “late night at the private club” groove coupled with a “keep my name out yo’ mouth” message. Half of most people’s problems would evaporate if they took this simple advice.

“Hustlin’ Daze” is also a cool track, with a downtown New York horn flourish and some funky scratching. I wasn’t familiar with Donell Jones, but I like the way he adds a melodic touch to the chorus with his high and (dare I say) pretty vocals.

However, a lot of the other tracks while well produced and performed just didn’t grab me. They just felt like a lot of generic hip hop out there these days. The interesting way that Guru rapped over top of jazz arrangements on the first album are either missing, or buried so far down I can no longer pick them out.

The final song, “Timeless” elevates the record again. It features Herbie Hancockand listening to him noodle his keyboards around Guru’s melody is a joy to the ear, but it comes a little late to restore my faith in the record.

There is nothing wrong with “Streetsoul” – the music is good and the performances strong. They don’t speak to me sufficiently, however, and I think I’m going to bid a fond and generally favourable farewell to this album. It will no doubt make someone very happy.

Best tracks:   Keep Your Worries, Hustlin’ Daze, Timeless