The King of Pop Meets The King of Swing. New Jack Swing that is.
People talk about Thriller all the time. Ya, don’t get me wrong. It’s great. But Dangerous marked a true change in style for MJ. It was a change that Michael himself wanted to make. He created this new sound by commissioning the task of executive producer to Teddy Riley rather than choosing Quincy Jones, who recommended Riley, to produce it. The dividends were returned, as Dangerous ended up being the 2nd best-selling album from his discography. Black or White was the biggest single since Billie Jean. And the album spawned 9 other albums. Teddy Riley is a producer who almost single-handedly formed the New Jack Swing sound. This new sound was characterized by a fusion of Hip Hop beats and R&B. Remember The Time is possibly one of the best examples of this formerly emerging exciting street sound.
This was a short movie more than it was a straight music video. It featured an all star cast, behind of and in front of the camera, with no worry for expense. John Singleton directed the presentation. You’ve probably heard of him from Boyz In The Hood, which he directed. Magic Johnson was in it, LA Laker legend of course. Eddie Murphy was in it, before he did the family movie thing. Supermodel Iman was in it, whom MJ controversially planted one on in the video. The Pharcyde, who did that song “Passin Me By”, was in it also.
It told a story about some magic shaman who appears and romances the Queen, to an upbeat R&B beat. Not to mention that there’s an extended dance scene, MJ at some of this finest of course. Now to check another classic of the genre.
See, even VH1 thinks it’s a classic. Another Teddy Riley produced track. People say it’s a new jack swing anthem and that’s precisely why I had to post it. And New Jack Swing found its way in other forms of media. Take this clip for example from one of my favorite shows of all time.
You see. Bell Biv Devoe. That’s New Jack Swing for sure. New Jack Swing is undoubtedly an older subgenre, but it’s definitely some good music.
Anyways, so people know Quincy Jones primarily for his work as a producer. But what a lot of people don’t know was that he himself was a jazz trumpeter and arranger. He made great music, some of which has survived in popular culture today. Take this for example:
Well, you’ve probably heard that one from Austin Powers or from somewhere else. Quincy Jones arranged that one. Notice the multiple layers, arranged on and off beat in complexfully simple ways. The flute solo was played by one of the greatest multi-instrumentalists of all time, a blind man named Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He could play the tenor saxophone, clarinet, stritch, manzello, flute, whistles and more. Check out one of my favorite Kirk tracks. This one is Laugh For Rory off of his LP The Inflated Tear, an album which many say is his greatest work. [Click on "Play With Flash Player" to grab a preview of the track before getting, assuming you want to get it of course.]
http://usershare.net/bbx0r5iu6wh3
Flute mania. Absolutely. The piano solo is absolutely superb as well.
