Magazines like Step Jazz, On The One, Streetsounds and Soul Power are
doing an excellent job in their own right, and they all help a
tremendous amount to spread the jazz flow. But there's always room for
more
The way I see it, Urb has helped these other magazines, just as they
help URB - just as Straight No Chaser has helped The Face and I-D and
vice-versa. It's a great big circle, IMHO. One day soon, we'll have
enough regional "jazz" magazines to fill a whole section on the racks
and the whole thing will grow, fuel the fire and feed on itself. If I
had any part in that, then all the better.
I guess I've written about 25,000 words for URB over the last couple of
years and its been a hell of a trip. Now, some other people can step
up with an E-ticket and take the ride. As always, peace and
understanding to everyone... Here's the latest...
First up - the Jazz Flow has grown bigger and expanded wider than any
of us ever imagined when we were once intrigued by the mixture of Soul
II Soul with Tribe with Sade with Cutty Ranks with MK with Kenny Dope
with Marvin Gaye with Stetsasonic with Kraftwerk all in the same night.
It was not even three years ago that I wrote an article on Charlie
Hunter, Alphabet Soup, and the San Francisco Jazz Flow in CMJ that went
largely unnoticed. Yet by mid June 1995 every big record company in
America plus Bellissima!, G-Stone, Talkin’ Loud etc. were roaming
around the West Coast at the On The One Magazine Anniversary Party
trying to figure out what was going on.
And how should I know? We were too busy tripping all weekend long on
the dancefloor with the likes of Step Jazz in San Diego, Kruder &
Dorfmeister, DJ Takemura, Felix, DJ George, Omar, Andrew Jervis, Gerry
V, The Angel, Rad from Soulciety Records in Hamburg, (plus Jacko Peake)
John Waters’ Boat Party Dub System (that shit was the bomb!), 330 Ritch
Street with it’s line up of jazz in the Sandor Moss Quartet (touches of
Coltrane), Simone White and friends, Ubiquity's Neomythic, Terra Deva,
Bullet Proof representing three floors at Goldie’s with over 20
rotating DJs spinning pure and danceable tracks til 4.
Black Note recently set off Cafe Du Nord with a chronic set of jazz as
have so many others, including Marxist influenced, live band-backed
hip-hop function The Coup from Oakland (what the f*ck happened over at
Wild Pitch?) Simone White, former drummer for Michael Franti’s
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and about 150 other bands,
headed to the studio recently with three highly talented musicians and
came up with a rough demo called Night and Day. Simone’s twist on jazz
is just that - unexpected and amazing. Look for a review in these
pages plus another demo with added string parts from players at the
Music Conservatory. How’s that for pushing the envelope?
Up from the ashes of a crash and burn at Mo’Wax comes some interesting
bits to check. Remember when Mo’Wax 12” were the best new stuff you
could get yer hands on? Well they’ve gone back to that spirit with
their new label, Excursions which will put out only 12”. On the menu
are cuts from techno phreaks Patrick Pulsinger and Mark Broom, as
well as The Prunes and David Coron.
On Mo’Wax itself, will be more from the $ Man, Money Mark, plus DJ
Krush’s “A Whim” with jungle remixes, Carl Craig rerubs of Rob D., a DJ
Shadow LP by year end and an U.N.K.L.E. album with tracks from
Rammallzee who reappeared from nowhere to re-inject Lavelle and Co.
with some seriously odd-ball hip-hop. Other material on the
same label include newness from Blackalicious, and a Luke Vibert (Wagon
Christ) solo project. Blatant propaganda warning: you may see a S.F.
local start cranking out the illness on Mo'Wax by year end, but if I
tell you who it is - I'd have to kill you, so be patient and stay
tuned. Should be worth it. Can't wait? Here's a hint: think New
Breed...
My man Ross Allen at Dorado Records, has reason to be happy with the
material being put forth from that label - snatch up the two Jhelisa
“Friendly Pressure” 12” and anything else you can find with Jhelisa or
Pamela Anderson. The Paradise Revisited Mix gets nicely tweaked by
heavyweight Lee Hamblin. The new Outside 12” "The Higher We Fly" b/w
"The Twenty-Nine Eight Steps" is lovely - pure easy listening and
groovy for summer sessions under the sheets or wherever. New LPs are
out from APE, "Strip Light" and Cool Breeze with APE soliciting the
services of San Francisco’s Gavin Hardkiss for the ill rework
capabilities. Also grab Outside's new LP, "The Rough and the Smooth" -
Matt Cooper's best effort yet.
Bellissima! has new music in the form of the Spiritual Vibes Showcase
'93 - '95, and a new group called Natural Calamity featuring Love TKO,
Takemura and others - all excellent interpretations of new directions
in dancefloor jazz - as well as some of the most down folks in the
underground industry. Also from Japan comes a new label called Odd
Job with a cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" on 10" featuring
Ken Booth and rasta man U-Roy. Another project from the East is the
Lollop Sampler with its Takemura orchestration, vibe and
digging-in-the-crates attitude to chill out an afternoon. This is a
compilation of many artists creating a soundtrack-type feel of lazy,
serene beats backed by creative jazz instrumentation. I bugged out on
it atop a beautiful rock formation watching the sun set nestle behind
the mountains of Joshua Tree National Park. Sublime and wonderous,
comforting and introspective. Respect to the Japanese artists for
changing our outlook monthly...
Impulse has their hands full reissuing the classics A Love Supreme, as
well as Coltrane's work with Johnny Hartman backed by his sensational
1960s quartet of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. Both
records come on heavy virgin vinyl and are do-not-pass-up long players.
New material on Impulse includes wax from The Roots with Roy Ayers
"Proceed II" taken off the Red, Hot and Cool Stolen Moments CD with
remixes by the minds of the Beatminerz.
And finally a big up to the little regional groups adding much
enthusiasm to the global jazz flow sound such as the Soul Power Posse
in Orlando, DJ Aztec, K-Nee and Cosmic in Colorado, Step Jazz and the
stoned beatheads in San Diego, Bambi, Josh in Chicago (via Berkeley!),
the sound systems in D.C., Swingsett, Smash and Chillfreeze in NYC, On
The One in S.F., Behind The Post Office crew and especially the Jive
Samba folks Roman and Cool Chris who have the sick collections that
cannot be fucked with - except maybe by the Solesides lab rats in
Davis. Peace to all those the world over down with moving this thing
forward.
(ck smart)