Review:

The Beat Konducta has assembled his ragtag band of free-jazz cats one mo’ gin with Yesterday’s Universe. Check the guest list. Otis Jackson Trio? In the house. Kamala Walker and the Soul Tribe? Yep. Shit, even the The Jahari Massamba Unit dropped by for a song or two. Those uninitiated into the Universe might be confused at this point and even more so when they read the album’s liner notes. For those unacquainted, in the usual Madlibian fashion, Otis Jackson Jr. has created a slew of new monikers to propel his new Yesterday’s New Quintet (“YNQ”) project into the stratosphere with pseudo (or real?) album covers to boot (peep the booklet).

The confusion created by the schizophrenic array of band names and featured players yields to the vibe created by the music because; who cares? This shit is just good. The opening cut is a cover of Miles Davis’ ‘Bitches Brew’ snarling with nefarious synthesizers, twittering with flute accents and preparing the listener for the imminent funk. The drumming is urgent and you can feel the synthesis of the Otis Jackson Trio fuse. I guess three Otis Jacksons are better than one, especially when they’re all Mr. Lib.

The vibe changes quickly as the free jazz of “Umoja” quickly quells any tension left from the previous song. Here, The Jahari Massamba Unit melds a jumpy acoustic bass, twinkles of a piano and heavy work on the hi-hat. This song sets the mood perfectly for a whimsical stroll in the park or a quick cipher at home with your significant other before a nice afternoon romp. “Slave Riot” sounds like it’s titled, a chaotic mess that sounds like pure protest to sonic convention; complete with blips, a gurgling sound and an indecisive saxophone, but what else would you expect from the Young Jazz Rebels?

‘One for the Monica Lingas Band’ is a smoothie that goes down easy on a hot Sunday afternoon riding around with the windows down. The keys dance, the bass follows and the drum keeps everything on pace. Eventually the piano leaves the accompaniments behind and does a dance of its own before returning to the fold. ‘Street Talkin’ regresses into the urgent sound that characterized the Miles’ cover, but this time with Blaxsploitationesque bass and scratch guitar reminiscent of some Isaac Hayes type shit. Next, the Jazzistics’
‘Marcus, Martin and Malcolm’ is like a jazz Napoleon combining equal parts Garvey, Luther King and X if they were instrumentally transformed into keys, synthesizers and trumpet.

‘Two for Strata East’ is traditional YNQ fare in interlude form with the bright vibes taking
main stage along the side show drum and bass. Next, the Sound Directions showcase the funky side of life with their rendition of ‘She’s Gonna Stay,’ a laid-back organ and vibraphone joint that Doom could easily annihilate if Lib was in Villain mode. Swirls of wind initiate the melancholic mood of “Cold Nights and Rainy Days”, an aptly named groove that hypnotizes the listener with its mellow vibes, sitar twang, lazy bass and ambient noise like chirping birds. With the improvisation and experimentation present here, one can easily envision another blunted evening in the bomb shelter, Lib with headphones on, L sparked and hanging from the side of his mouth, alone and gleefully
banging on his drum set. True to form, the Otis Jackson Trio returns with ‘Free Son,’ another funky frenetic piece mixing flute melodies with a wormy electro bass, a varied percussive mix and random ambient sound effects for good measure. ‘Barumba’ is a Brasilian-influenced number, a chill, melodic piano and vibraphone heavy song with shakers and woodblocks that make the beat danceable.

Ahmad Miller’s ‘Sunny C’ is a floor vibrator; deep bass, spacey synths and rhythms that sound like something Dudley Perkins would have happily sang over. ‘Mtume’s
Song’ is some of that bass head jazz Cee-Lo was trying to tell folks about, straight up tripped out jazz (like what Jazzanova might be if they weren’t so locked into the rhythm). The requisite epic bust-nuts-all-over-the-instrumental inclusion is the almost 12-minute
‘Vibes from the Tribe Suite’ by the Yesterday’s Universe All-Stars. The flute and piano rotate solo duties while the organ, bass and percussion anchor the groove at first. Then, a percussion breakdown evokes The Roots ‘Water,’ but before entering black hole territory, a groove develops, and then dissipates, until the original groove returns at full swing. The finale to the latest YNQ foray is ‘Upa Neguinho’ and like the earlier Jackson Conti contribution ‘Barumba,’ is a tribute to Brasil and its unique jazz stylings. Once again the
keysweave the melody of the track, but the tight percussion and trumpet noodling suggest an early 1900s juke joint vibe complete with tuxedos, canes, dames and top hats. The perfect finale, the keys and trumpet fade into the distance like the sunset after another day in Brasil or another adventure in the YNQ Universe.

Although the prior Yesterday’s New Quintet albums dabbled in a variety of styles, Yesterday’s Universe provides a strong representation of each style and a smorgasbord of sounds to sample and digest. Yesterday’s Universe highlights Madlib’s abilities as a curator; its his collection on display, and with every new incarnation the listener gets to join the discovery and exploration.

-dRes, contributing writer and beatmaker for deadlymelody.com