December 22, 2005
Some Good Hip-Hop Reading
When I see a writer on a site like Slate, covering a topic like "hip-hop and jazz," I usually brace myself for a painful ride. But this take from David Adler was a happy surprise, showing no signs of wackness whatsoever:
Two Turntables and a Saxophone
How jazz plays off hip-hop.
When I e-mailed a knowledgeable friend that I'd be writing on jazz and hip-hop, she replied, "Man, can people stop talking about this already?" She's right, in a way. The jazz/hip-hop nexus is simply a cultural and genealogical fact. Turntablists, MCs, and jazz musicians are collaborating every day. And yet the impact of hip-hop on some of the best new acoustic jazz still isn't widely understood.
To borrow a term from DJ Shadow, jazz and hip-hop are omni-genres, held together more by musical and cultural philosophies than by any limiting parameters of "style." While hip-hop has devolved time and again into disposable pop, it has never lost its vitality as an underground, alternative art form. This is the aspect of hip-hop that jazz musicians are responding to; they're encountering hip-hop on creative rather than commercial terms. And they're refuting the popular view that today's jazzers are stuck in the '50s and '60s.
Also weirdly intriguing, if you missed it: Rappers' rivalries create totally weird social-network science
Posted by jsmooth995 at December 22, 2005 08:52 AM
Ultimately, music is about dancing. In the beginning, jazz was about dancing. But it strayed from its roots. Jazz, as it is has developed, has had these, shall we say, mathematical tendencies. Jazz is sophisticated music.
Hip Hop rarely strays far from the underlying dance component. There is no be-hop or free hop, etc. Either it has a 4/4 synchopated boom/bap, or it isn't hip hop. There's not much wiggle room.
I definitely agree that jazz is an omni-genre. But I can't say the same for hip hop. To me, the term "jazz" covers everything from Basie and Ellington to Sun Ra and Donald Byrd. Jazz is a history of the exploration of all the possibilities of rhythm-based music. If you look at the James Brown band, it had the same configuration as a jazz ensemble. The rhythm was different, but they had the basic ensemble configuration. The same could even be said for ska music. I would be comfortable classifying these under the umbrella of jazz.
Hip Hop, to me, is narrow. It's like a sweet spot. All you need is a drum. Even the vocal is optional.
I think David's point about the audience for instrumentals is key. That said, look at the popularity of house and trance. I think the audience is there, but people seem to have focused on some very narrow "sweet spots". Check back in 20 years and people will still be listening to those same basic sweet spots. Kinda sad to see music not able to develop and reinvent itself. That was the real beauty of jazz.
Posted by: i'm the skwidawd at December 22, 2005 01:56 PM
Angry Black White Boy by Adam Mansbach is a terrific book that discusses race and culture and all that interesting stuff that this site sometimes concerns itself with. Check it out.
Posted by: jason at December 23, 2005 04:19 PM
Jazz and hip hop are the best genres of music along with soul. I wish people would blend jazz and hip hop more often like on guru's jazzmataz...
Posted by: The Guide to Getting More Out of Life at December 25, 2005 06:47 PM
Jazz and hip hop are the best genres of music along with soul. I wish people would blend jazz and hip hop more often like on guru's jazzmataz...
Posted by: The Guide to Getting More Out of Life at December 25, 2005 06:47 PM
where can i buy/order jazzmataz volume II & III?
thanks for information.
Japer
Posted by: jazzy japer at September 7, 2006 03:16 PM
