Guru Album: “Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1”

I was first introduced to Guru's Jazzmatazz in 1993 when Acid Jazz was big on the West coast, but had not reached my ears on the East Coast. While it's categorized as rap in many music stores, it's a hybrid of hip-hop and jazz, thus the moniker of Acid Jazz. [NOT to be confused with smooth jazz resembling "elevator music."]

Guru is its maistro, conducting distinguished guests like the smooth voiced N'dea Davenport and smooth guitarist Ronny Jordan - each stars with their own careers.

Guru's "No Time to Play" is an anthem for hard working people from hip business man to funky construction workers. And when we do play, Guru offers, "Loungin" as our theme song.

Different styles and tempos come together in this urban quilt of jazz samples and vocal textures to make one of my favorite CDs.

If you like a groove, but prefer the kind of sophisticated cool you can play even for your parents over the hard core you only listen to when you're in full party mode, Jazzmatazz is for you. And good news - Jazzmatazz has a sequal, Jazzmatazz II, for its biggest fans!

This it what real hip hop is all about, innovation, trying to do something new to help further the hip hop scene. Guru fuses his intense and always meaningfull rhymes with beats and instruments straight from real lounge loving jazz. If you like jazz and have an open mind to new things check this out. If you like gangstarr and have an open mind check this out. If you love hip hop CHECK THIS OUT!

Being a fan of Miles Davis, one of the key experimenters in the jazz world, I have always been on the look out for artists that have a leaning to the experimental and unconventional.

I had heard a few of Guru's later albums, and although I am not a fan of rap, his style was interesting. I was [angry] though that it was classified as 'jazz' since only a few were jazzy.

However I got around to hearing this album: Jazzmatazz Vol. 1. This is by far his best work. It was so experimental in nature, and the envinronment is obviously one jazz. The phat hip hop beats have have the same vibe as the instrumental solos in the backing tracks, and Guru's deadpan delivery of his rhymes are very good.

Favourites would be "Loungin'" and "Transit Ride". This album showed that Guru had potential to be a 'jazz' great, however his switch to a more hip hop than jazz sound on his later work is a great shame. Perhaps he will do better in the future.

I'm not a big hip-hop fan, but I like Jazz a lot. Jazzmatazz takes fusion to another level with amazing grooves and rhythmic jazz beats and a french rapper on one track. this cd is much jazzier than the other two, which is why i prefer it to the other two. The hip-hop is truly amazing in this cd too, but is definitely more mellow than the mainstream rap you hear nowadays. For anyone who likes jazz and hip-hop and can do without explicit lyrics (which you will find on the 3rd volume), this is absolutely a must.

Any hardcore fan of Gang Starr should consider this essential. If not, then any fan of laid back hip hop will find this a nice find. Sure it isn't Premo but Guru definitely keeps the Gang Starr attitude kickin' on this smooth release. Just beware, this is certainly an album relegated for the bedroom or living room with a little cheeba use and not in your fly whip. It's very laid back but then again so was Gang Starr, right? If your favorite Gang Starr song is Discipline or Moment of Truth then you're good to go.