If you had paid any mind to the L.A. hip-hop scene that was blossoming in the early 2000s, you’ve probably heard the name, Madlib. Madlib is the Oxnard-breed multi-hyphenate whose expansive sound and storied discography can go toe-to-toe with any musician across history. He began to gain recognition as a member of the Lootpack, making the group’s instrumentals and providing witty verses as a member of the trio who was an early venture for the newly created Stones Throw Records.
Not too long after the label saw success with the release of Lootpack’s sole album, 1999’s Soundpieces: Da Antidote!Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf discovered a cassette in Madlib’s studio. One side was Madlib’s usual off-kilter instrumentals but the other side featured high-pitched vocals rapping about psychedelic drugs. That is when the world was introduced to Quasimoto, the shit-talking, mushroom-taking, rapping alien that Madlib would transform into from time to time. Peanut Butter Wolf quickly pressed up a full-length Quasimoto, 2000’s The Unseen, a 25-track album of braggadocious rapping and innovative instrumentals. With two critically acclaimed hip-hop albums under his belt so early in his career, no one knew what to expect from Madlib next, and no one would’ve guessed what it would turn into.
Legend has it, Peanut Butter Wolf approached Madlib about what the producer had planned for his next release, he responded with one word; “Jazz”. In 2001, Yesterday’s New Quintet was introduced to the world, composed of Madlib, Monk Huges, Ahmad Miller, Joe McDurfey, and Malik Flowers, the group released their debut EP Elle’s Theme. The group was initially formed in 2000 under Madlib’s vision and set up shop at Stone’s Throw Studios in Los Angeles, the chemistry was instant, and in the same year as their debut EP, their first full-length was released. Angles Without Edges was released on September 11, 2001 to high critical acclaim. The band followed up their successful first year in 2003 when a collection of Stevie Wonder covers from the band surfaced in the form of Stevie where the band composed instrumental covers of classics like “Superstition”, “Too High”, and “Visions”. Another quick collection of classics is under Madlib’s direction, the producer is on a creative high but releasing three critically acclaimed jazz albums isn’t the craziest part of Yesterday’s New Quintets’ story.
If you google any of the other members of YNQ besides Madlib, there is no trace of them outside of their work with the band. No history, no past works, not a single piece of information can be found on Huges, Miller, McDurfey, or Flowers. This isn’t a story of cool elusive artists who don’t want to engage in the mundane, surface-level nothingness that is compiled on the internet and social media, these artists simply do not exist. The four other members of Yesterday’s New Quintet are figments of Madlib’s colorful imagination, and that man alone created all the music under the band’s name. Through sampling old jazz records and playing the instruments himself, Madlib alone created a whole new take on one of the oldest genres in music. Three albums by himself doesn’t seem too impressive, but that’s just the beginning of the “band’s” storied discography.
After a brief hiatus, solo material from these so-called band members began to be released through Stones Throw Records. Each of the band’s 5 members released EPs under their own name from the years 2002 through 2007. That final year we received a compilation album titled Yesterday’s Universe which marked the official break up of the original lineup for YNQ. This was not the compilation any was expecting, it wasn’t a collection of the greatest hits from the band’s past, it was ushering in a new era. Yesterday’s Universe introduced us to multiple new groups from each of the 5 members, including Madlib’s The Otis Jackson Jr. Trio, Young Jazz Rebels, Sound Directions, and The Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble, just to name a few. These groups would go on to release their own incredible albums in the following years.
Today, there are 15 albums released from the universe of Yesterday’s New Quintet. 15 projects that explore the rich history of jazz by diving into different decades of genre and applying modern twists. 15 albums that are filled with history, colorful melodies, and bright harmonies, all credited to one man. Madlib’s exploration of jazz is one of the most hidden gems in modern music and the releases during this era should be studied extensively. Through these releases, Madlib pays homage to the forgotten greats of jazz, on the album Miles Away, the sole release from The Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble, each track is dedicated to a jazz musician who helped pave the way for a project like YNQ. You also have Huges’ album from 2004 which is dedicated to the great keyboardist Weldon Irvine.
What Madlib did with YNQ gained him high regard in the jazz world, so much so that the famous Blue Note Records welcomed him into their deep vault of jazz superstars and allowed him to sample their whole catalog, the result would be Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note. This album is the most critically acclaimed of the releases from this era in Madlib’s career and features interludes from the artists Madlib is sampling.
What Madlib accomplished with Yesterday’s New Quintet is something most jazz historians fail to do. He kept the names of some of the greatest jazz acts ever alive and introduced them to a sea of young hip-hop fans who would otherwise have no idea who Roy Ayers or Woody Shaw is. If you’re discussing the history of jazz and how it has advanced since its introduction to pop culture, not mentioning Madlib and the discography of Yesterday’s New Quintet and its subsequent albums would be leaving out a massive chunk of why the genre’s greats live on to this day.
