Jahari Massamba Unit is the jazz duo consisting of Madlib and Karriem Riggins. If those two names working on the same song aren’t exciting enough, one could argue you’ve lost the ability to be excited altogether. Two producers, proficient in both jazz and hip-hop with storied careers and colorful discographies to back them up, have had oddly similar career paths. Two sides of the same coin as they say with both members being revered in the two genres as innovators. YHWH is LOVE is the pair’s second full-length together and just as predicted, they created something special. These 14 songs shift tones and rearrange the room you’re in with the blink of an eye, creating cosmic instrumentals that are more akin to the seven stages of grief than a jazz album.
JMU creates spiritual jazz for the modern time. Rather than take their strengths and force them together, they seem to find each other’s weaknesses and fill in the gaps. Like a pyramid, the two sonic worlds fit into each other perfectly and reach a pinnacle that promises stunning and complex views. This is music to make the world feel smaller, more intimate, and approachable. Rather than smashing us over the head with their otherworldly talents, they anchor themselves to earth for a collection of songs that feel empathetic and personal. Even at its most syncopated moments, these songs come off as gentle and calming creating an easy-going tracklist that was not easy to put together in the slightest. They structured YHWH is LOVE like an easter egg hunt, placing pastel melodies next to silky smooth drum patterns for a tracklist that seamlessly transitions from one mood to the next.
An avalanche of juxtaposing melodies cascade down neck-breaking drums, one element bleeding into the next for seamless hip-hop-flavored jazz. This project is not futuristic, rather the two artists are stubbornly sticking to the present, crafting instrumentals that encapsulate the confusing time and miraculously, make the problems of the world feel smaller. A song like “All Things…” shows a more sentimental side of JMU, the emotions of rain on a window echo throughout to create a moody tune. This is quickly contradicted by the muted grooves of “JMU’s Voyage”, a mind-altering display of Riggins’ drumming work gets elevated by whimsical pianos and baritone horns.
YHWH is LOVE is a clinic on tone. The duo can evoke so many emotions without being blatant and direct, allowing these arrangements to be interpreted by the listener the way good art should. The tracklist shifts from a palpable melancholy to a relaxed warmth. The way these songs take control of the mood of the room is impressive, to say the least. The pair crafted such subtle beauty you might miss the drum pattern or flute melody that turns the album into an entirely new sonic landscape. That is the magic of this album, by doing the least they proved the most. Madlib and Riggins are The Wonder Twins that combine forces to morph into any era of jazz they find suitable. They don’t just lift from jazz’s past, they bring it to the present by adding that unexplainable magic touch that each producer possesses.
On paper, the pairing of Madlib and Karriem Riggins is obvious. The two both hold a special place on the bridge between jazz and hip-hop and each executes the marriage in their own, masterful way.
One Response
the album is amazing and impressive