The Bad Plus Joined By Wendy Lewis
For All I Care
2009, Full disclosure: more often than not I dislike vocal jazz. I mean there are exceptions, but not a lot of them. For All I Care is one of those exceptions. I'm not sure if it's because this is a collection of covers of rock and pop songs rather than jazz standards. Or maybe it's because Wendy Lewis really doesn't have some kind of jazzy show-off vocal style? Whatever it is - it works. Opening with Nirvana's "Lithium," should come across as overwrought but the shifting changes in tempo immediately make it clear that we will not be in autopilot mode on this record. Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and Wilco's "Radio Cure" are soul-crushing here. The Bee Gee's "How Deep Is Your Love" and The Flaming Lips' "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" are full of hope, while "Barracuda" just plain rocks. Peppered throughout are a few instrumental covers and really the whole thing just hangs together really well. This album serves as an easy entryway to introduce non-jazz fans to modern jazz.
Donald Byrd
Stepping Into Tomorrow
1974, I don't know if this album is super well-known. It's definitely not one that I hear people referencing very often. So if it is a bit of a hidden gem then what a gem it is! Stepping Into Tomorrow is an essential jazz-funk record. Basically this one feels like a hip hop record with no rapping. There are some chorus vocals here and there, and honestly I'd be happier without them, but nothing that totally turns me off. This is straight head nodding music, though and a high point in Byrd's discography, at least in my opinion. The title track (written by Larry Mizell) is a must-hear as far as jazz-funk goes. Surprisingly, the only Byrd original here is the closer, "I Love The Girl." This record is highly recommended.
The Heliocentrics
Out There
2007, The Heliocentrics seemed to come out of nowhere with the release of Out There and pretty much introduced themselves as a band that wasn't going anywhere. They had already found their sound by the time their debut hit. It's that of a sort of future soul-jazz that is equal parts spacey Sun Ra and tight hip hop beats. (Of course this makes total sense when you realize that their first high profile gig was working on DJ Shadow's The Outsider.) Out There is a totally epic way to introduce a band. It is a sprawling playful mess with reverb-drenched guitars dripping all over Malcom Catto's anchored drums. If there's any complaint I could have here it's that sometimes the record can feel a bit too long. While its twenty-four tracks are all relatively short, it still comes across feeling like two records rather than just one. But that's not exactly a dig. There are so many great tracks here such as standouts like "Distant Star" and "Sirius B." Although this may not be quite as envelope-pushing as some of their later albums, Out There is a fantastic debut and certainly a hint of the greatness that The Heliocentrics would begin to flood the market with in coming years.
Madlib
Advanced Jazz
2010, Volume 8 in Madlib's Medicine Show series was effectively a mixtape of some of his favorite jazz. However this isn't a collection of songs - rather moments - all stitched together to create new pastiches from tiny snippets. There's no real tracklisting here and even trying to identify any of the many samples is a game of its own. With track titles being little more than names of jazz masters ("Miles," "Ra," "Herbie" and so on) and the usual Madlib talent of fighting the most bizarre non sequitur pieces of stray dialogue, spoken word poetry and absurd comedic skits this album plays out like some kind of hazy jazzy daydream where legendary musicians from varying eras all just blur together in some kind of fantasy jam session that never was. Drum solos give way to drum solos while beat poetry is recited and a bassline can be played for what feels like eternity. It's easy to call this collection aimless - because truly it is. Just not necessarily in a bad way.