Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality

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By the time Gang Starr's rapper Guru created the "experimental fusion of hip-hop and jazz" he called Jazzmatazz back in 1993, the idea of blending the two African-American styles had been fairly well explored. But as the first wholly self-conscious genremixing, Jazzmatazz Volume I was at least a decent novelty record. In the two Years that followed, however, jazz rap--from Digable Planets to Buckshot Lefonque to the Roots--grew into a dominant strain of alternative hip-hop.

The good news is that 1995's Jazzmatazz II acknowledges the changing times. Guru ups the ante by collecting artists from R&B (Chaka Khan, Mica Paris) and reggae (Ini Kamoze, Patra) in addition to jazz (Ramsey Lewis, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard) and rap (Kool Keith, Big Shug). The concept broadens to bring together makers of all black music. At best, the songs reflect this more robust brew: "Watch What You Say," for instance, blends Khan's dynamic blue improvisational singing and Branford Marsalis's subdued saxophone phrases with Guru's rap and DJ Premier's unorthodox track of video game sound effects.

The bad news, though, is that Volume II fails in precisely the same places Volume I did. First, Guru still raps with fine tone but little gift for either rhythm or rhyme. In a monotone he self- righteously calls himself "The Lifesaver" but offers only vague solutions like "deal with reality and try to keep focus" to innercity turmoil. Second, except for Khan's vocals and perhaps Lewis' piano solo on "Respect the Architect," the style meshes never get a chance to rise out of the same tried hip-hop form. --Roni Sarig