Jacob Hammonds Jazz History Jazz and the music of Q-tip

Throughout its history the term jazz has encapsulated various sounds and has occupied different places in society. Whenever a major innovation takes place in jazz, it is normally met with resistance from the previous generation. Even early movements in jazz such as bebop, which is now studied as the foundation for jazz improvisation, were not recognized by traditionalists. While the term jazz is an ever changing umbrella to describe a diverse set of musical expression, it is widely agreed on that jazz music exemplifies certain musical traits. The word jazz holds the weight of far too much music and culture to be rigidly defined, but the Oxford dictionary lists improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forceful rhythm as important traits. While the character and shape of jazz music varies greatly, these traits permeate throughout the genre.

Hip-hop like jazz was born out of Black America and demonstrates use of improvisation, syncopation, and rhythm. In fact, jazz music and jazz musicians were greatly involved in the development of the genre. While many jazz and hip-hop artists are responsible for the advancement of hip-hop, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed commonly known as Q-tip, has consistently used samples of jazz and collaborations with jazz artists to create music.(Thomas) Q-tip is also one of the few artists that influenced early hip-hop and also is currently active and relevant. This essay will examine Q-tip's usage of jazz music and principles in developing his music, as well as his influence on modern jazz.

Q-tip first group A Tribe Called Quest was formed in 1985. Their first album, People's Instinctive

Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, contains samples from jazz recordings. A sample is a piece of recorded music that is edited and used in a different musical context. This can include drum breaks, piano parts, horn lines, and even individual notes or drum sounds. For example the track Can I Kick It? off People's Instinctive Travels contains a sample of Spinning Wheel by Dr. Lonnie Smith. People's Instinctive Travels also contains samples from Jimmy Smith, Donald Byrd, and Cannonball Adderly. Aside from the instrumentals, Q-tip as well as the other members of Tribe Called Quest utilize swing rhythm in their delivery of lyrics.

A year later Tribe Called Quest released their second record The Low End Theory. Like People's Instinctive Travels, Low End Theory relies on samples of jazz recordings for the instrumental backing tracks. Q-tip comments on this use of jazz lyrically in the song Jazz (We've Got) saying The jazz, the what? The jazz, jazz can move that ass....It's the universal sound, best to brothers underground. Although it is being described in terms specific Q-tips cultural upbringing, it seems Q-tip is describing jazz as rhythmically valid in popular music as well as commenting on the honesty and universality of the music. Low End Theory differs from People's instinctive Travels, in that jazz bassist Ron Carter was hired to play live bass. Ron Carter was featured on the song Verses From the Abstract. This marks the beginning of jazz musicians direct involvement and acceptance of this new musical art form. Subsequent albums to feature jazz musicians include Buckshot FeFonque's Breakfast @ Denny's(1994), which features Branford Marsalis and Guru's Jazzmatazz(1994), which contains appearances from Donald Byrd, Branford Marsalis and other jazz greats. Branford Marsalis said in regard to his involvement in hip hop Jazz has a certain artistic credibility that can't be ignored.'' If the I-don't-get-it crowd doesn't get rap now, it never will This shift from rejection to acceptance by the jazz greats validated hip-hop and the practice of sampled music.

A Tribe Called Quest's next three records, Midnight Maraders (1993), Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), and The Love Movement (1998), also use jazz samples as the foundation for the instrumental backing tracks. However by the time of their release, the use of jazz samples had become a common practice in hop hop production, and Jazz Rap had had been accepted as a more intellectual music than so called gangsta-rap. Tribe Called Quest and its contemporaries Gang-Star and Digable Planets all successfully fused jazz with rap and received critical acclaim (Williams). By this point in time the use of samples had undergone an amount of legal scrutiny. A 1995 USA Today article reported that U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell ordered a halt in the sales of Notorious B.I.G.'s album Ready to Die, due to its use of an illegal Ohio Players sample (s5). Due to these legal issues hip hop producers of the late 90's and 2000's avoided the use of samples, and chose to use other tools such as drum machines and computer sequencing programs.

Despite this move away from sampled production techniques, Q-tip solo records still contain samples from jazz recordings. His 1999 release of Amplified contains samples of Roy Haynes and Joe Pass. The album also features production from James Dewitt Yancey, commonly known as J Dilla or Jay Dee. J Dilla was also featured on Tribe Called Quest's last two albums. Notable recordings that feature Yancey's production are Stressed Out, 4 Moms, and Let's Ride. After Amplified Q-tip would wait nearly ten years to release his next solo album.

During this break period Q-tip worked on producing music for other artists, some in pop music as well as hip hop. However he was also involved as a producer on several jazz recordings. One of his most notable being his work on the Kurt Rosenwinkle record Heartcore. In a question and answer

session at UNT, Rosenwinkle described their creative process himself bringing in multiple ideas and Qtip would listen to them and say wether or not he liked them. One the principal ideas were established they were developed by the two in a studio setting. Q-tip also appeared on Roy Hargrove's Hardgroove, Sergio Mendez's Timeless, and a voicemail containing a recording of Q-tip urging Robert Glasper to add J Dilla covers to his record In My Element. Like Low End Theory, Q-tip's 2008 release of The Renaissance contains performances from jazz musicians. Some of the personnel on the recording are Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge and Kurt Rosenwinkle, and while some samples are used they appear far less frequently than the Tribe Called Quest recordings.

Q-tips incorporation of jazz samples and jazz ideals in his recordings is just one example of jazz music's influence on modern art and culture. Critics, music historians, and record promoters attempt to describe an entire culture's music in terms of genre, but the melding of cultures and sharing of music makes drawing boundary lines impossible. If one chooses to view music as a complex form of communication, it appears that jazz and hip hop aren't separate genres. They are rather words in the same language, and Q-tip's recordings remain an example of a multi generational conversation. It is clear that jazz music played a major role in shaping hip hop. However, hip-hop's influence on jazz is often overlooked. Before the hip-hop musician would take pieces of jazz and incorporate them into their music. Now, it isn't uncommon to hear a jazz musician quote or reference a hip-hop groove or even cover entire songs by hip hop artists. Hip-hop's popularity with the public has exposed jazz recordings to the masses in a form they can accept, and this has helped in aiding jazz's survival in the modern era. Q-tip exemplifies a hip-hop artist with respect for jazz, and has aided in keeping jazz alive.