REVIEW: US3, Hand On The Torch
- Bob Gajarsky
Everyone is out looking for the next new thing, whether it be group, sound, fad, or what not. Sometimes, the next big thing comes out of nowhere, and just grabs ahold of you and won't let go. The next big thing is US3, and their debut album is Hand On The Torch.
US3 (pronounced us-three) is the brainchild of Geoff Wilkinson and Mel Simpson, both jazz lovers who have envisioned the natural partnership of jazz and hip-hop rap. Two singles were released before the band was signed to Capitol Records, and offered the unlimited use of the entire Blue Note (jazz) library.
This partnership has produced 13 tracks on Hand, including the debut single, "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)". Brilliantly combining laid-back rap with samples from Herbie Hancock ("Cantaloupe Island") and the Art Blakey Quintet ("A Night In Bangkok"), Cantaloop is the standard by which all other jazz/rap songs will be judged.
Some of the great names in jazz history are tastefully sampled on this disc, including Lou Donaldson, Ronnie Wilson, Big John Patton and Donald Byrd. Theolonious Monk is sampled on "I Go To Work", which sounds like the rap Young M.C. only wishes he could do, and "Tukka Yoot's Riddim" incorporates Grant Green's "Sookie Sookie" with Jamaican-born rapper Tukka Yoot. "Eleven Long Years", which takes samples from Horace Silver's "Song For My Father" and Hancock's "Blind Man, Blind Man", is another standout track.
However, US3 is not just a sampling/rapping studio project; the disc actually consists of 11 members (3 rappers) who not only can play jazz, but love the music. The rap on this album isn't "in-your-face" and boisterous, but beautifully webbed with the jazz to produce a sound completely different than of its jazz origin.
I'm neither a huge jazz buff, not a great rap fan. However, US3 have combined these two forms of music into an irresistible format that will prove to be at the forefront of music. Do yourself a favor, and get Hand on the Torch now. Your player won't thank you for the endless plays, but your mind and ears will be treated to a rare treat from the next real deal: US3.
