Digi-12” Tuesdays are Back!

A-Side: Charles Mingus - II B.S.

B-Side: Gangstarr - I’m The Man

To start things back up right on this blog, i think it is fitting that we visit some past masters.  Mingus, the bass genius behind some of the world’s finest jazz music, never sat contentedly in the rhythm section.  His vision of what the low end means to a song was revolutionary to his time and opened up contemporary music to explore the lower sonics as a place for complexity and pride, not merely to hold the beat and give some swing.  His solo work really shows his chops off and gives an idea of just how powerful a force a bassline can really be.  Not only did Ming Mingus Mingus expand my own personal idea of what a jazz album could sound like, I have consistently returned to it as source of music inspiration and tool to focus myself.  And that bassline; it will follow you around for days.

And while you are happily letting the bassline fill your soul and make you think about strutting on your way back to the train today after work, imagine that with Jeru The Damaja on top.  That’s what DJ Premier had to have been doing on his way to and from the studio while working on Daily Operation.  It’s only natural.  So for the B-Side today, the posse-cut of posse-cuts, I’m The Man with the majority of Preemo’s crew at the time on the same song with their own beats.  Coming up third on the mic, Jeru and the whole reason to pay attention to this track.  The rest of it has, in my opinion, not withstood the test of time; but Jeru came strong, Premier came through even stronger with that simple loop, rough drums, and horn stab.  What can one say but, “I’m the muthafuckin’ man.”