I recently picked up Madlib`s Shades Of Blue. He got my attention after the Madvillain rap album. It consists of works from the Blue Note catalogue (with greetings from many artists), mixed the hip hop way. I`ve listened to it several times now, and would like to recommend it as a nice summer record, not too complex but still jazzy.

When that is said, anyone know of more rap artists that has interpreted jazz music this way........I know many (most) are influenced, but in this pure form?

You'll probably have to wait until Geoff gets back online, he's as obsessed with hip-hop as he is w/ Jazz, surprisingly.

All I can suggest is that you may want to try some Jazz-Rap. It doesn't necessarly remix old Jazz tracks, but uses Jazz Rythyms as a musical support for the raps such as The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Guru, MC Solaar, etc...

Yes, I know those, Guru - Jazzmatazz 1 is one of my favorite records at the moment, and what I`ve heard from A Tribe Called Quest is also good, but that is rap as you say.

I suppose you could put the mid90's group Us3 into the mix. In their "cantaloop" , they used the sample from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" song.

I do agree with the "shades of blue" album. You should also check out his work as Quasimoto. Good stuff.

It's not really what you mean, as it's not rap, but some Belgian DJ's and electronic producers have made some mixes of Blue Note stuff, I haven't heard it myself as it's not really my cup of tea, but I've heard that there are some good things amongst it...
One of them is Sven Van Hees' Blue Note's Sidetracks 3
Buscemi, Blue Note's Sidetracks 2&4 (probably latin jazz)
Lefko and Kr, Blue Note's Sidetrakcs 5

I`m having a hard time getting some samples of the net and soulseek , thanks though.

I could make a long comment on this whole subject, which to me is like colorizing B&W films, but I will limit it to one word.


Blah!


I should point out that comment is meant for what Blue Note and Verve have been doing.

Verve completely butchered Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" in such a profoundly appalling way I might just go and cry and shake my fist under my desk now.

But back to the subject: What about Gil-Scott Heron? Not so much rap, but spoken word incorporated with jazz standards certainly.