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When Jazz met Hip-Hop: The spirit of Acid Jazz lives on

Serena Alves | New York + Brasil | 10/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ten years later, the Acid Jazz scene of the early nineties is remembered mostly as British fad, and many of the best releases by Gilles Peterson's Talkin Loud label are now sadly out of print. But New York had its own fusion of Jazz and Hip Hop happening in 1993-94, centered around Giant Step Thursdays, Giant Step's house band Groove Collective, and also Jazzhole. Like Groove Collective, Jazzhole is a collective of musicians and singers with a diverse roster of talent.

This first album by Jazzhole is the best of their early work. "Forward Motion" (featuring Ahmed Best) has got to be one of the classic acid jazz singles of all time. A track like "Betcha Gonna Want Me Back" (featuring rapper KCB) was way ahead of its time: mixing sexy downtempo beats and super smooth flute, sort of anticipating Trip Hop's takeover a year or so later. (This song could exist happily on any contemporary downtempo compilation.) "Smile" is also an infectious, feel-good R&B pop song.

The best thing about acid jazz was the positive vibe it helped create: the music transcended race and brought people together. Groove Collective may have played more frequently around NYC, but none of their recordings ever captured their onstage energy. If you miss that spirit, but can't bear to hear Cantaloop by US3 one more time, try to find a copy of this self-titled Jazzhole CD on zShops, or have a dig in the dusty acid jazz crates at Rebel Rebel on Bleecker Street."