Search - Yesterdays New Quintet :: Yesterday's Universe

Joyful fusion of free jazz and heady funk...

Line of beauty in jazz | Miami, FL | 07/31/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The mega-prolific Madlib has returned with his Yesterdays New Quintet jazz project.

More than 5 years on from their debut, Madlib's five players are joined on this fifth yesterdays new quintet album by a host of new incarnations and guests to showcase their talents on "Yesterday's Universe". They represent a distinct facet of Madlib's musical universe, which we have finally come to realize is the universe of his mind, soundtracked by an astral collision of classic jazz, funk and fusion, and present-day hip hop.

"Yesterdays Universe" (Stones Throw) is another foray into free jazz, fusion, funk, almost entirely performed by Madlib himself (he does have several guests join him for this effort).

Once again, he dips deep into the catalogue of classic jazz as well as performing his own compositions.

The results are always engaging, especially since the work has a very unpolished, almost demo-like feeling at times.

A combination of live instruments and programmed sounds give new life to songs like Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew", "Street Talkin'" from Kamala Walker and "Slave Riot" from the Young Jazz Rebels.

So, if you are planning on opening a retro-cosmic jazz lounge in the near future, fear not for your performance budget, as all you will need for the first few months is this CD on repeat.

You may well find proceedings a tad slow and bland at first but persevere: there's enough smoked-out jazz groovation here to fill several vintage '70s Volkswagen buses, and enough of the Beat Conductor's acute rhythmic sensibility to carry most of the somewhat sparse, meandering melodies.

Of course, a large sack of ism might well afford heightened insight into the creative processes at work in its production, and you might want to dig out a beret and shades to benefit from the full experience.

Guest drummers Karriem Riggins and Mamão of the legendary Azymuth are at work somewhere in the astral swirl, but mostly it's Madlib's own prodigious multi-instrumental talent sincerely focussed on tootling, bumping and wurbling for an hour and change, and, as (almost) always, worth checking with it.

The results are anything short of perfection. Madlib is able to channel what the pinnacle of jazz music sounded like and creates the sort of club atmosphere only found on real jazz records.

Jazz has served as the foundation for many classic hip-hop records, and now, thankfully, hip-hop is returning the favour."

A Unique Introduction into a new Universe

Charles Kariuki | San Francisco, CA United States | 09/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yesterday's Universe marks the departure of Yesterday's New Quintet and the introduction of 10 new acts.



This is a more jazzed ( The Jahari Massamba Unit), funked up (Street Talking), spaced out ( The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz Ensemble), fuel charged ( Young Jazz Rebels) unique blend of special herbs ( Jackson Conti) from Madlib's skittish brain. It's difficult to really say anything bad about this album because it exists in it's own platform, so high above what the rest of the hiphop genre is doing that if often seems that Madlib should be measured on his own terms.



Also featured are Karriem Riggins and Mamao from Azymuth on drums. Probably one of the best releases this year next to EL-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead."