At this point in Hip Hop history, the link between Jazz and Hip Hop was not a secret to anyone and was going further than only samples (even Miles Davis recruited Easy Mo Bee to produce his final album “Doo-Bop“). But for his first solo project, Guru of Gang Starr made the connection more obvious with the excellent “Jazzmatazz, Volume 1”. If the goal was to make an LP Hip Hop and Jazz heads could equally enjoy, it was definitely a success. The entire album feels like a night at the Jazz club, where dope mellow beats and rhymes collide with solos from the best musicians around. Guru secured an all-star lineup of collaborators to create this chef d’oeuvre, including saxophonist Branford Marsalis, trumpeter Donald Byrd, vibraphonist Roy Ayers, guitarist Ronny Jordan, keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith, vocalist N’Dea Davenport and French rapper MC Solaar. The result is ten amazing tracks for the history books, all killer no filler!
Other than the album, you can catch below all the videos, remixes, a track from Ronny Jordan featuring Guru in the same vibe and era, and incredible show footage live at the Montreux Jazz festival.
You can also dig in the samples used to create this masterpiece on whosampled.com.
Full album on YouTube:
Stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer & Tidal.
Videos:
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Trust Me (featuring N’Dea Davenport)
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No Time to Play” (featuring D.C. Lee, Ronny Jordan)
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Loungin’ (featuring Donald Byrd)
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Le Bien, Le Mal (featuring MC Solaar)
Remixes & B-Sides:
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No Time To Play (CJ’s Master Mix)
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Loungin’ (Square Biz Mix By Tate & Greg)
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Loungin’ (Guru Meets The Professor Mix By Smash)
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Loungin’ (Jazz Not Jazz Mix By Smash)
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Trust Me (CJ’s Master Mix)
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Trust Me (Funkmaster Flex Hip-Hop Mix)
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Season For Change
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Season For Change (Dawn Of The Season Mix)
