Kendrick Lamar and the contemporary jazz axis

[Ian Thumwood]

I don't profess to know a lot about this stuff but listening to Kamashi Washington on line leads you into all sorts of directions. Several names keep cropping up. Terrace Martin is one musician I ha e seen twice over the last two summers - once as a member of Herbie Hancock's groups and again this summer with Robert Glasper. He is an alto and keyboard player but also a record producer. Another name which keeps cropping up is Thundercat and if you Google these names you will end up with rapper Kendrick Lamar whose "To imp a butterfly " is getting the kind of reviews that would make you think he is Rap's answer to Duke Ellington. Never heard this record but intrigued to hear samples this morning and safe to say I don't think that it is going to be permissible on JRR if you were more curious. (Does JRR have a policy with bad language, btw ? If you edit these tracks there would be nothing left!)

Just wondered if anyone had any opinion of this stuff. The best I can say if that it reminds me of an update of 1970's Herbie but I am not sure it is as good as it thinks it is. (Mobile phone out at 6.40) By the end the clip looks like an advert for Samsung!

I have heard a lot of this kind of jazz over the last few years and have been underwhelmed. This really seems to be the "happening" jazz at the moment and is the kind of music which is bringing older traditions to a younger audience. Just make me feel old, to be honest!!

Am I missing the point ? Any view on Kendrick Lamar ?

[Serial_Apologist]

Ian I tend to agree. It starts off seeming to promise more than it actually delivers, with the teasing suggesting possible interesting directions contrasting beat and asymmetric rhythms with more fluidity à la Miles Live-Evil sessions/early Weather Report, then a blazing start to Washington's solo, which however doesn't go anywhere. Were it not for the volume levels I would have gone to sleep. (Actually, I turned it down, and did!).

By the way Ian, I see there's a Maria Schneider track on today's JRR (track 7); and given your penchant for large contemporary arranged line-ups you might be interested in Callum Au, the first track, from 2012, which includes several of the local musicians I was following at the time, though I missed this particular, presumably temporary, group and its leader; and also the big Alexandra Ridout Track 8 - she of the Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2 years back.

[Ian Thumwood]

SA

The "September in the rain" track is the arrangement written for Roy Hargrove's big band about ten years ago. It is a really good chart but in the Hargrove version , it is more apparent that the arrangement was written with Dizzy Gillespie in mind. Can't remember the name of the arranger but I have met him!

The Glasper track is pretty damning in my opinion. I walked out if his gig this summer because the music was just noodling. They have the technique and all the snazzy chords and are quite savvy with the groove yet there is something really smug about this stuff which I find annoying. I was hoping to provoke a reaction because I just think that Glasper is extremely over-rated. He is wasting his talent and the constant references to JDilla and stuff like that seems really opposed to what jazz is about. However, this stuff is hugely popular with the younger audience. I am not too down on Washington because I have heard what he can do in bands such as those led by Gerald Wilson back in the 2000s when he was killing. His own work is not too bad although not as good as some might believe. Glasper, however, remains problematic for me.

[Serial_Apologist]

SA

The "September in the rain" track is the arrangement written for Roy Hargrove's big band about ten years ago. It is a really good chart but in the Hargrove version , it is more apparent that the arrangement was written with Dizzy Gillespie in mind. Can't remember the name of the arranger but I have met him!

The Glasper track is pretty damning in my opinion. I walked out if his gig this summer because the music was just noodling. They have the technique and all the snazzy chords and are quite savvy with the groove yet there is something really smug about this stuff which I find annoying. I was hoping to provoke a reaction because I just think that Glasper is extremely over-rated. He is wasting his talent and the constant references to JDilla and stuff like that seems really opposed to what jazz is about. However, this stuff is hugely popular with the younger audience. I am not too down on Washington because I have heard what he can do in bands such as those led by Gerald Wilson back in the 2000s when he was killing. His own work is not too bad although not as good as some might believe. Glasper, however, remains problematic for me.

I agree. If music was just about productivity, this would come pretty low in performance ratings!

[Ian Thumwood]

The worst thing about it is the smugness of the musicians when absolutely nothing is happening. I suppose you should not be surprised that the mobile phones are whipped out quite so readily by the musicians yet Glasper seems to me to be like a Lenny Henry pastiche. I struggle to take this stuff as seriously as these musicians do. There are plenty of other Glasper tracks on line that are even more disappointing. Just seems to go against the grain of jazz being innovative in my opinion.