Photo via Genaro Molina/LA Times
It’s easy to get jaded writing about music every day. You can ask any writer or blogger. It’s the sort of thing most of them complain about behind closed doors but have the common sense not to bitch about publicly. After all, the only way you’re going to find a sweeter gig than writing about music for a living is if the Tim Floyd Fan Club procures you the sinecure. (hey, USC fans, Lil Romeo!). But every now and then you get to do something that makes you realize how lucky you are to be in this sort of position. Cue corny Reality Bites-esque moment of sincerity.
My story in this morning’s Times covers a concert that the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz put on at Washington High in South-Central. Think of it as the world’s greatest high school talent show with celebrity cameos from Doug E. Fresh, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Herbie Hancock. Interspersed between the performances was a skit between a student and veteran character actor Bill Cobbs, about the ties that bind jazz, hip-hop and all 20th century African-American music. They played snippets of everyone from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker to Miles Davis, to Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and the story of the birth of hip-hop.
The ultimate goal of the program was teach hip-hop kids an understanding of jazz, how to fuse the two genres and how to get a job in the Roots if all else fails. Watching the students freestyle over a horn section and live bass guitars reminded me a little of the brief Digable Planets/Tribe/US3/Gangstarr jazz rap trend from the early 90s; though admittedly, watching the man who provided the sample for “Cantaloop” didn’t hurt either. As I mention in the story, the best part about the whole thing was hearing Thelonious Monk Jr. deliver the news that the program’s curriculum was in the process of being exported to New York, Chicago and most importantly, Miami. Meaning…your time is numbered, Khaled, your time is numbered.
LA Times: Strutting Their Stuff In Front of Legends
Download:
MP3: Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick-“La-Di-Da-Di”
MP3: Galactic ft. Chali 2na-“Think Back”
MP3: Herbie Hancock-“The Sorcerer”
