The crossing of jazz and hip-hop beats is no new thing and it has often produced some amazing musical results. At the same time, completing your music with other musicians remotely is somehow becoming a standard in these pandemic times. But both things can be quite tricky and present themselves with quite a few hurdles.
But, none of these hurdles seem to be much of a problem for Barra Brown. LFT:RT, is his latest album and a showcase on how to join jazz and hip-hop beats from the jazz side of things. Remotely.
In most cases, it is beat masters or rappers picking up jazz grooves, often joining different samples together like a disjointed jigsaw puzzle that still makes full sense and works magic. Brown works these things out differently. He has both elements stuck somewhere in his mind and then just combines them through improvisation into something completely new. After all, he doubles his musical life through his ’standard jazz’ Barra Brown Quintet and beat making duo Korgy & Bass.
No wonder his combinations on the album, like on “Ride”, sound so flawless and natural. All the tracks are propelled by Brown’s incessant drum shuffles that keep the pace both constant and unexpected, without overpowering the other musical parts in any way. The overall musicianship on the album is exemplary and the two vocal tracks (“Ride” and “Wasted Time”) simply add to the diversity and quality of the music.
