Badbadnotgood

BADBADNOTGOOD Is Back

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I’m a big BADBADNOTGOOD fan. In fact, they’re the first band I ever wrote about on this site, about a year and a half ago. Their first two projects, BBNG and BBNG2, were entertaining mixtape-style jazz projects featuring fresh concepts and cover songs alike. They showcased plenty of potential and got the internet buzzing. They followed those up with III, their first album consisting entirely of original material. It was the perfect progression of their career. The album was great, and ended up being one of my favorite projects of 2014. It was even nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, which is an award given to the best Canadian album of the year.

They came back this spring with Sour Soul, a collaborative project with Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killa. I wouldn’t call myself much of a Wu-Tang or Ghostface fan, but I’ve heard enough of their music to be excited by a collaboration with BBNG. It sounded good on paper, but not much about it really stuck for me. Aside from a couple odd tracks I enjoyed, I haven’t even thought about the album in months.

Today, BADBADNOTGOOD came back with two new releases, which have sorta recaptured the magic for me. By my calculations, these serve as their first solo pieces released in over a year. (They first let loose “Velvet” last October.)

“Timewave Zero,” ironically, sounds a bit Wu-Tang-esque. This feels like the theme song from a dusty ’70s kung fu movie. It’s certainly more experimental than they’ve been on past solo albums, and the percussion alone is enough to mesmerize me.

“Here And Now” feels a bit more like vintage BBNG. The horns on this are incredibly warm, which is almost a prerequisite for good jazz, in my eyes. Leland Witty, saxophone extraordinaire, rolls through for a contribution. I’m not sure if this guy is technically a permanent band member yet, but he should be. After appearing on a couple of early tracks, he delivered one of my personal favorite moments of III on “Confessions” before contributing to Sour Soul. I don’t know what the band’s future plans are, but they really should involve this man.

No word yet on whether or not these two tracks are from an upcoming project, but even if they aren’t, it’s safe to say the group is back in the studio producing solo work. My fingers are crossed for a follow-up to III in 2016. I bet I can guess the title.

Jazz Is For The Kids

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BADBADNOTGOOD and hip-hop influenced jazz.

In the 21st Century, jazz is typically seen as music for old people. Let’s be honest. Look at the big names in jazz history. The most recently-prominent jazz icon is probably Herbie Hancock. He owns 2 of the top 5 best-selling jazz albums of all time, but those were released in 1973 and 1983, respectively. Artists like Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis made timeless music that still connects with people today, but it’s not quite the same as new artists releasing new music to a new generation. The classic jazz artists will always be there, but I don’t think they’re picking up hordes of new fans in the 18–25 demographic.

As jazz in popular music began to fade, the up-and-coming genre of hip-hop derived influence from these musicians. Kids weren’t listening to much jazz anymore, but they were getting their fill through jazz loops and samples on songs by A Tribe Called Quest. Since hip-hop’s beginning, it’s always had this relationship with jazz; paying homage to the genre that helped to inspire it. Until now, jazz has never returned the favor.

Insert BADBADNOTGOOD. In a fitting 21st century twist, the genre created by African-Americans is being brought back to the current generation by three white kids from Canada. Instead of the usual jazz influence in hip-hop, they’re giving us hip-hop influence in jazz. Welcome to the future.

While they’ve largely shifted to original material in their most recent projects, BBNG first rose to internet prominence in 2011 for their hip-hop cover songs. Where else are you going to hear a jazz rendition of Nas’ “The World Is Yours”? Given the relationship between the two genres, the convergence seems so natural, and it’s probably the reason BBNG is not only the “next big thing” in jazz, but also one of the biggest young bands in music. They’ve made the genre cool again. They’re selling out shows, and they have kids literally moshing. To jazz music. In 2014.

Their 3rd studio album, aptly titled “III”, hits the internet on May 6th. Until then watch their latest music video, “Can’t Leave The Night”.

Originally published at fromloveland.com, April 8 2014.

BADBADNOTGOOD: Jazz Is For The Kids

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In the 21st Century, jazz is typically seen as music for old people. Let’s be honest. Look at the big names in jazz history. The most recently-prominent jazz icon is probably Herbie Hancock. He owns 2 of the top 5 best-selling jazz albums of all time, but those were released in 1973 and 1983, respectively. Artists like Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis made timeless music that still connects with people today, but it’s not quite the same as new artists releasing new music to a new generation. The classic jazz artists will always be there, but I don’t think they’re picking up hordes of new fans in the 18–25 demographic.

As jazz in popular music began to fade, the up-and-coming genre of hip-hop derived influence from these musicians. Kids weren’t listening to much jazz anymore, but they were getting their fill through jazz loops and samples on songs by A Tribe Called Quest. Since hip-hop’s beginning, it’s always had this relationship with jazz; paying homage to the genre that helped to inspire it. Until now, jazz has never returned the favor.

Insert BADBADNOTGOOD. In a fitting 21st century twist, the genre created by African-Americans is being brought back to the current generation by three white kids from Canada. Instead of the usual jazz influence in hip-hop, they’re giving us hip-hop influence in jazz. Welcome to the future.

While they’ve largely shifted to original material in their most recent projects, BBNG first rose to internet prominence in 2011 for their hip-hop cover songs. Where else are you going to hear a jazz rendition of Nas’ “The World Is Yours”? Given the relationship between the two genres, the convergence seems so natural, and it’s probably the reason BBNG is not only the “next big thing” in jazz, but also one of the biggest young bands in music. They’ve made the genre cool again. They’re selling out shows, and they have kids literally moshing. To jazz music. In 2014.

Their 3rd studio album, aptly titled “III”, hits the internet on May 6th. Until then watch their latest music video, “Can’t Leave The Night”.