Jazz is at a turning point in the 21st century, but most people aren’t aware of it. They might argue, as Ryan Gosling did in La La Land, that jazz is dying, but I would argue that jazz is having one of its biggest moments, due to its prominence in hip-hop and electronic music. No group better reflects this than BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG), a Toronto-based jazz group, which frequently covers and collaborates with some of the biggest names in hip hop: Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, Danny Brown and Ghostface Killah to name a few.
The night started off with Brooklyn-based free jazz group, Standing On The Corner. There were points of the set that I enjoyed, but at other times, it came off as a lot of noise. The percussion was certainly notable and was probably the most enjoyable part of the performance, while the vocals were definitely the least. The influence of free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman was incredibly clear. The biggest and most meaningful investment they need to make is in a good sound engineer, who can take their sound and make it more palatable in a venue the size of MTELUS.
After how uncomfortable I was with the opener, I was worried about how BBNG would come off. Luckily, due to having fewer members (four, rather than 7 or 8), the sound came across much better. They mainly played songs from their two most hip-hop albums, III and IV, but they had interesting takes on each piece, extending them in intricate improvisations.
While most of the crowd had been looking for the tracks from their hip-hop collaborations that made them famous, I was hoping for tracks, like “Time Moves Slow” and “In Your Eyes,” which feature talented vocalists Sam Herring (Future Islands) and Charlotte Day Wilson. Not unsurprisingly, they stuck to tracks that didn’t have featured vocalists or collaborators, except for “Lavender,” which features a Kaytranada sample.
It took seeing the quartet live to truly appreciate their skill as jazz musicians and as artists truly shifting a genre. Tracks like “And That, Too” and “Chompy’s Paradise” were slow grooves that immersed you in their ability to meld each instrument’s sound together. My favorite part of the night was the pianist’s solo. It was one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve seen played live in any genre and left me completely in awe of the pianist. I’m hoping for a solo album and accompanying tour because he definitely has the ability to create a live masterpiece as widely appreciated as Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert.
While not exactly what I expected from BBNG, the show was very enjoyable. The songs were transformed into something completely distinct from their recorded versions. BBNG proved that jazz is not only alive in well in its legacy in hip-hop, but also in its own right. Groups, like BBMG and Snarky Puppy, and solo artists, like Kamasi Washington, are bringing jazz back into the mainstream with their collaborations with hip-hop artists and with their own great jazz records. Jazz electronica is also changing the types of sounds and elements within jazz songs today, as seen with Hiatus Kaiyote and Flying Lotus. Whether this is the resurgence of jazz back into the mainstream or not, I’ll be happy to listen to these pioneering groups, who are pioneering beautiful and unique new sounds in one of my favorite genres.
Jazz records to listen to for proof that jazz isn’t dying:
IV – BADBADNOTGOOD
Culcha Vulcha – Snarky Puppy
The Epic – Kamasi Washington
Review – Rhodes Ford
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