Looking back on Bird Up, Charlie Parker filtered through hip-hop, etc.

September 27, 2014 12:10 PM

About a decade ago, in the mid 1990s jazz remix era, as heard in the Verve Remixed series, one particular compilation of re-visionings stands out: Bird Up. The compilation featured a range of remixers and producers, including the RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan, Dan the Automator, Hal Willner, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, and Serj Tankian of System of a Down, extended "now-familiar bebop soundscapes into new places that are sometimes strange, occasionally brilliant and always invigorating."

As can be expected, not all reviews were completely glowing, but tastes do vary. If you'd like to hear more, 10 of 13 tracks are on Grooveshark, and the full compilation is on MySpace.

posted by filthy light thief (10 comments total)

If you'd like more of this jazz remixery and re-imagining, CBC lists their top 5 compilations of the sort, which oddly includes Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream and Other Delights Re-Whipped. The remixes are fun enough (Grooveshark playlist), but the original is not terribly jazz.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:14 PM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]

One of the first and probably still the best of the remix jazz genre: Madlib - Shades of Blue
posted by carsonb at 12:32 PM on September 27, 2014 [3 favorites]

I liked this post before clicking on any of the links.
posted by Nevin at 12:45 PM on September 27, 2014

Sort of related (because of the Tribe-Be Bop connection) but Amerigo Gazaway's amazing Bizarre Tribe remix is essential listening.
posted by Nevin at 12:46 PM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]

Excited to listen to this. My favorite jazz remix record is Impulsive! The genre is really hit and miss.
posted by lownote at 2:22 PM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yes, and I can't wait till they decide to take the Mona Lisa out of its guarded glass case from the Louvre museum in Paris, and just let some guys "who know what they're doing" update it. Let's colorize it some more, give her some bling maybe, or a Beyonce-type outfit or something. Then maybe we can get Lil' Kim or Jay Z or someone to record some bits over those slower parts in Mahler's sixth. I mean, why the fuck not? That is all.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 3:50 PM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]

Seeker, I share your sentiment but the particulars of your analogy might be problematic.
posted by STFUDonnie at 4:10 PM on September 27, 2014

STFUDonnie, thanks. You may be right; just tryin' to make a point. :-)
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 4:56 PM on September 27, 2014

The Mona Lisa is probably not the best example.
posted by Known Weasel at 5:37 PM on September 27, 2014 [2 favorites]

Before anyone gets too dismissive I'd just like to note that Madlib is a fantastic and creative jazz musician in his own right. His various phases of Yesterday's New Quintet are ridiculously good; the off-shoots like Sound Directions' Funky Side of Life, the Stevie Wonder tribute, and the reggae collections are all worthwhile listens. You see 'quintet' and 'group' and 'players' a lot in the liner notes for these albums, but it is mostly entirely performed by Otis Jackson, Jr.
posted by carsonb at 7:24 PM on September 27, 2014 [3 favorites]