Gerald Levert RIP (see below for more)
Jazzy Jeff absolutely killed it again at Jam last night! It's always great to get him back as he is the ultimate party DJ. A lot of the crowd at Jam would have changed a bit from the first few years we were running but Jeff is the best guy to be both educating and entertaining a young crowd about the roots of hip-hop. His 'Hip-hop Forever 3" compilation is another illustration of why he is the best at combining good quality modern hip-hop with some classics from hip-hop's golden age, an age which he helped usher in too! It's impossible to mention highlights of last nights set but D'Angelo, Lynn Collins, Carl Thomas, The Emotions, Aretha, Jill Scott, Jeru, Royce 5"9, James Brown, Michael Jackson, The Eurythmics, Biggie, Jay Z and Prince all got spins.
He also had the ultimate MC in tow again. Skillz is a legendary MC in his own right, but he is the prefect guy to work with Jeff, as his timing is incredible and he knows just when to deliver. Unfortunately he brought us bad news too as Philly soul singer Gerald Levert passed away last night and he would have been quite well known to Jeff and company. They played a fitting tribute at the end of the night though with his classic number "Casanova". RIP
The atmosphere was excellent in the Savoy and it's no suprise that Jeff loves this gig. We went back to the hotel where he typically had a production set-up and was eager to share with me some of his forthcoming stuio album, "The Return of the Magnificent". I've been getting sneak previews of this since his last visit and I've gotta say, it's looking like a bit of a classic. I've previously heard tunes featuring Musiq, CL Smooth, Rhymefest and more, but last night he played us tracks with Little Brother, Raheem De Vaughan and Method Man which are banging! He hooked me up with loads of exclusives as usual (nice singer named China Black) but you'll have to catch my Black on Red show for details on them!
We had a great chat about music for a few hours and we discussed our mutual love of his record label B.B.E. amongst other things. Pete at B.B.E. is doing some amazing things musically and as a long term follower of the label I was delighted to hear some of Jeff's plans for future recordings. His biggest problem is trying to get off the road for sufficient time to record more but there is no doubt that there are plenty of more classics coming from Jazzy Jeff. A bigger gentleman you will never find to be homest, the fact that he is one of the greatest hip-hop DJ's and producers in the world is simply a bonus. Respect.
