| Subject: JAZZY JEFF 'S AMAZING MIX FROM LONG AGO |
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bruce banner
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Date Posted: 06:23:37 02/22/02 Fri
Back in 1986 or '87, Jeff was selected to participate in a project on the UK label Champion records. The name escapes me (and my crates are in storage) but I know that this was the second volume of a compilation of hip hop songs and early house singles. They were released as two record sets - the first record containing the tunes, the second a blend of selected tracks mixed by two participating DJ's. In this case, WHIZ KID on one side, JAZZY JEFF on the other.
Brothers and sisters, let me tell you. This was a mix, and the best evidence of Jazzy Jeff's genius at the time. No one made blends so seamless or cuts so clean back then. Here's the tracklisting (as I remember):
FREEDOM - Grandmaster Flash
MAGNIFICENT JAZZY JEFF - Jazzy Jeff (Jeff's own special mix)
IT'S MY BEAT - Sweet Tee & Jazzy Joyce
MY MIKE SOUNDS NICE - Salt n Peppa
TRIPLE M BASS - Worse 'Em
(intermixed with the James Brown intro from FEELIN JAMES by Steinski)
GOTTA BE TOUGH - MC Shy D
(Intermixed with MUSIQUE NON STOP by Kraftwerk and Whistle's JUST BUGGIN)
Jeff kills it from the word go - cutting up Melle Mel's classic "What's Your Name" call and response from "Freedom", while scratching in "Jazzy Jeff" to replace the crowd responses. A studio edit pounds in the final "Jeff" and we're into an amazing overloaded version of "Magnificent", serving up the bird chirps, record burbs and tranceformer routines. Then the mix changes gears entirely with a quick jolt into the slow, funky-drummer groove of "It's My Beat". Jeff works the ones and two's repeating the loops before playing and doubling timing the track. A seamless blend into "My Mike Sounds Nice" and we're back to doubles, scratching the track's mid-pause section back and forth before letting the record ride on. Suddenly "Triple M" pounds in with Jeff absolutely killing the LL Cool J "Hard as Hell scratch and doubling up again before he perfectly blends the "Feelin James" intro - "Ladies and Gentlemen the star of the show, the hardest working man in show business - Ladies and Gentlemen, Jazzy Jeff!" Then, after building to such a place, Jeff again changes the mix entirely and goes Miami-style on us, cutting quickly over "Gotta be Tough"'s Earth Wind and Fire-laden track, stabbing in snatches of "Musique Non Stop" before finishing the whole mix by cutting all hell out of "Just Buggin's" breakdown...
Like I say, a supreme example of how far ahead of the pack Jeff was. Most DJ's today still can't create a mix like this. They might scratch really well, or blend or double up, or even build momentum in a mix, but very few could do what Jeff could. Namely, everything.
Bruce Banner
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