4/5
A Good Note
Coming of age during the college days, we had no idea how good we had it. We're talking the early 2000s. What a time to be alive for a great day in hip-hop. F### a big-three today. We know it's just, "big HE" (or is that HIM?). Drake, even the great J. Cole. They were not like this. The real clash of the titans, like Tupac and Biggie, had Jay-Z and Nas still releasing albums and showing us what beef was really all about, before they made a monumental moment of peace on stage, with Cam'Ron and The Diplomats watching, looking for their own immunity. Down south, T.I. was the King, whilst Young Jeezy was pushing rhymes like Ice Cube weight. Rappers could cross over to the pop charts seamlessly. Nelly, Ja Rule and 50 (and there's another beef). But hey, y'all, no one had it quite like OutKast. Especially the 'Hey Ya!' of Andre 3000 on the diamond selling, 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below', Caroliiiine. Giving us a taste of his jazz to come with a few of his 'Favourite Things' and a delightful duet with Miss Norah Jones.
'Idlewild' soundtracks came next, like 'Ten The Hard Way' never did, and we hope, one day, will. When we all wondered what 'Kast was up to, Big Boi explained Three-Stacks' absence to Tim Westwood. "He's out in Tokyo!" I remember as a college kid thinking how cool that sounded. It felt like the future. Now, all these years later, pushing 40 and living in the land of the rising sun, I'm sitting in the notorious Blue Note jazz bar, just outside Shibuya area, waiting to see Andre Benjamin show another side to us. The kind that puts the rapper of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest pedigree in the same company as Miles and Coltrane...not to mention Ron Burgundy with that jazz flute. But I'm sorry 'dre, like you were to Ms. Jackson. For real, your specially designed drink for the night had a cool twist, but I ended up ordering the Norah Jones 'Day Breaks' mocktail. Baby, take off your cool.
All is by the man who played Hendrix's side, in this epic experience. Be cool like sipping tea with a pinkie up. The 3000 we all love like a Stark RDJ walked through the tables, looking colder than a polar bear's toenails (thanks, Big), in a boiler suit, teacher's spectacles and a bright red beanie, glowing like the blinking lights atop of Tokyo's towers, warning aeroplanes like pocket lighthouses. Flanked by bandsmen, Carlos Nino (percussion), Surya Botofasnia (keys) and Deantoni Parks (percussion), Stacks gave us the first of two concerts this evening to begin a three-day tour of Tokyo. Gigging the Grammy nominated flute album 'New Blue Sun' (I'm sorry, LL Cool J). Set-list? Are you kidding me? Apologies to those who wanted to hear 'I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time', or 'That Night in Hawaii When I Turned into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control ... Sh¥t Was Wild' (with love to the yen for this expensive, but epic evening). What set-list?
Playing the corner, if you checked the clock running down (but this amazing wonder was not a watch watching affair) the first break in the show came half-way through. I know these songs are longer than the titles, but still. The man of few, but wonderful words and monkey howling said he just wanted to play and feel it, like our energy in return. And man, did he, they, and we ever. Playing every note to the point of pure perfection as the light work in this room didn't take it lightly when it came to being part of the performance, behind its own notes. There are black and white portraits of the greats that have played Blue Note at the entrance, before you check your coat with the sweet and sincere staff that are more than happy to help and make this decadent experience even more delightful. B.B. King. George Benson. Natalie Cole. Diana Krall. Not to forget, the late, great, Tony Bennett. Benjamin belongs with them for this bold and beautiful immersion of an inspirational set. Sensationally reminding us of just how unique and unpredictable music is in regard to all the boundaries it breaks through, pushing envelopes like ones that contain notes reading, "and the winner is(...)." Just like jazz. Just like hip-hop. Just like HIM. TIM DAVID HARVEY
Set-List Picks: The whole experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment