Guru is a legend. Along with DJ Premier, he solidified his spot in hip hop history as the rhyming half of the legendary duo Gang Starr, where he has become appreciated for his unique voice and mastery of monotone rhyming.
In 1993 he released a solo venture, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, the first in his series of popular jazz infused hip hop albums that pop up every few years. Volumes 1 and 2 boasted guests like Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, N’Dea Davenport (of Brand New Heavies), Ramsey Lewis, Bradford Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, and many other distinguished musicians. 2000’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 3: Street Soul had a neo-soul twist and featured artists like Isaac Hayes, Erykah Badu, Macy Gray. Guru returns now after seven years with Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future.
While the title suggests that the series is returning to its jazz roots, those pining for the mood created on the first two volumes will have to settle a generic “jazz” feel scattered throughout the project. Guru rhymes alongside Slum Village on “Cuz I’m Jazzy,” the albums opening track which serves as caricature the rest of the project - strong verses over a well crafted hip hop beat are coupled with weak or outright bad hooks (“I’m Jazzy, and I got that flavor/ Jazzy, check out your behavior/ I’m Jazzy, like Dizzy and Bird/ You want this party started, then give me the word”). Never known for his great hooks (that was mostly Premo’s job), Guru clearly hasn’t made any headway in this department, as “Fine and Free” suffers an terribly uncreative interpolation of Seals and Crofts classic “Summer Breeze.”
He redeems himself as teams up with Common and the oft-sampled Bob James on the reflective “State of Clarity.” James, popular since the late seventies for his brand of funk laced pop-jazz, delivers a simple yet pleasurable solo. With surprising success, Guru tries his hand at a southern double time flow on the Bobby Valentino assisted “International” as well as on the similarly flavored “Follow the Signs,” two of the albums best tracks. Dionne Ferris lends her pleasant pipes to the forceful “Fly Magnetic” while Damien Marley makes a very welcome appearance on “Stand Up (Some things Never Change).” “Infinite” finds Guru and Blackalicious really making this jazzy hip hop thing work over a refreshing groove and a fine flute solo, standing as a prime example for what the rest of the album should sound like.
The album is produced entirely by New York producer Solar, whose presence is felt on a few decent but somewhat dated productions. The Ronnie Laws assisted “This is Art,” suffers from a weak title (much like “Cuz I’m Jazzy”) that makes it seem as though Guru is trying too hard to be hip, an attempt which is duplicated on the production. Closing out the album is “Living Legend,” which boasts a soothing bass underbelly and the stabbing horn of popular sax star David Sanborn.
Where the first two installments of the series benefited from the participation of serious jazz musicians and actual instruments (authenticity?), this volume has fewer compelling soloists and plenty of awkward digital instruments (artificiality?). The “jazz” on this fourth edition of Jazzmatazz reveals itself in the form of silly sax solos, cheesy high hats, and too many fake live instruments that render many otherwise splendid backdrops questionable. While there are flaws abound, the album has plenty of nice guests and grooves and can at times be quite enjoyable.
“Lemme put it like this kid, I’m a well known legend with a flow that’s liquid/ You can front if you want to/ But you’ll never get the love that I get when I come through”
by Alex Viard
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