Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1

Jazzmatazz, Volume 1: An Experimental Fusion of Hip-Hop and Jazz, is the debut solo studio album by American hip hop recording artist Guru. It was released on May 18, 1993, by Chrysalis Records.^[1] The recording sessions took place at D&D Studios, in New York. The album was produced by Guru, who also served as executive producer with Duff Marlowe and Patrick Moxey.

Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1
"An Ex­per­i­men­tal Fu­sion of Hip-Hop and Jazz"
Studio album by Guru
Released	May 18, 1993 (1993-05-18)
Recorded	1992–1993
Studio	D&D (New York City)
Genre	Jazz rap
Length	44:06
Label	Chrysalis
Producer	Guru
Guru chronology
Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1 (1993) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (1995)
Singles from Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1
"Trust Me" Released: 1993 "No Time To Play" Released: 1993 "Loungin'" Released: 1993

The album combines a live jazz band performance with hip hop production and rapping. It features contributions from singers N'Dea Davenport, Carleen Anderson, Dee C Lee, French rapper MC Solaar, and musicians Simon Law, Branford Marsalis, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd, Gary Barnacle, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronny Jordan, Roy Ayers and Zachary Breaux.

Guru, quoted in the album's liner notes, talked about his natural affinity for both jazz and rap. "Jazz's mellow tracks, along with the hard rap beat, go hand-in-glove with my voice", he said.^[2]

The album made it to number 94 on the Billboard 200 and number 15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. In spite of the lagging American sales, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 was a commercial success in Europe, where jazz was much more popular in the 1990s. It peaked at No. 43 in Germany, No. 49 in Sweden, No. 58 in the UK, No. 67 in the Netherlands, and No. 139 in France. It also apeaked at No. 24 in New Zealand, Oceania. Its lead single "Trust Me" peaked at No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 105 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Its second single, "No Time to Play", peaked at No. 25 in the UK. SPIN ranked the album at number 20 on their 'The 20 Best Albums of 1993' list.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Initial reviews (in 1993)
Review scores
Source	Rating
Chicago Tribune	[4]
Robert Christgau	[5]
DownBeat	[6]
Q	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Select	[9]
The Windsor Star	B−[10]

Professional ratings

Retrospective reviews (after 1993)
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide	[12]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[13]

The New York Amsterdam News called the album "an experimental fusion of jazz and rap that articulates the ties of Black music through the ages and embodies the quintessence of Afro-American cultures."^[14] The Windsor Star noted that "two cuts stand out featuring singer N'Dea Davenport, who offers a fresh voice to the project."^[10] The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that "the soloists conjure a variety of deep-hued moods, but Guru stops short of delivering anything more than polite editorials and bland travelogues."^[15] Maclean's listed Jazzmatazz as the fifth best album of 1993.^[16]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Keith Elam, except tracks 3 and 9 written with N'Dea Davenport, and track 12 written with Courtney Pine.

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Introduction"	Guru	1:20
2.	"Loungin'" (featuring Donald Byrd)	Guru Donald Byrd[c]	4:38
3.	"When You're Near" (featuring N'Dea Davenport and Simon Law)	Guru N'Dea Davenport[c]	4:02
4.	"Transit Ride" (featuring Branford Marsalis and Zachary Breaux)	Guru Branford Marsalis[c]	3:58
5.	"No Time to Play" (featuring Dee C Lee, Ronny Jordan and Big Shug)	Guru Ronny Jordan[c]	4:54
6.	"Down the Backstreets" (featuring Lonnie Liston Smith)	Guru Lonnie Liston Smith[c]	4:47
7.	"Respectful Dedications"	Guru	0:54
8.	"Take a Look (At Yourself)" (featuring Roy Ayers)	Guru Roy Ayers[c]	3:59
9.	"Trust Me" (featuring N'Dea Davenport)	Guru N'Dea Davenport[c]	4:27
10.	"Slicker Than Most" (featuring Gary Barnacle and the Cutthroats)	Guru	2:35
11.	"Le Bien, Le Mal" (featuring MC Solaar, Black Jack and Mickey "Mus Mus")	Guru DJ Jimmy Jay [fr][c] MC Solaar[c]	3:21
12.	"Sights in the City" (featuring Carleen Anderson, Courtney Pine and Simon Law)	Guru Carleen Anderson[c] Courtney Pine[c]	5:10
Total length:			44:06

Notes

• ^{^[c]} signifies a co-producer.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[2]

Musicians

• Keith "GuRu" Elam – vocals, arrangement
• N'Dea Davenport – vocals (tracks: 3, 9)
• Diane "Dee C Lee" Sealy – vocals (track 5)
• Claude "MC Solaar" M'Barali – vocals (track 11)
• Carleen Anderson – vocals (track 12)
• Cary "Big Shug" Guy – additional vocals (track 5)
• The Cutthroats – additional vocals (track 10)
• Black Jack – additional vocals (track 11)
• Mickey "Mus Mus" Mosman – additional vocals (track 11)
• Donald Byrd – trumpet and piano (track 2)
• Simon "The Funky Ginger" Law – keyboards (tracks: 3, 12)
• Branford Marsalis – alto and soprano saxophone (track 4)
• Zachary Breaux – guitar (track 4)
• DJ Jazzy Nice – scratches (track 4)
• Robert "Ronny Jordan" Simpson – guitar (track 5)
• Lonnie Liston Smith – acoustic and electric piano (track 6)
• James "Lil' Dap" Heath – live drums (track 6)
• Roy Ayers – vibraslap and vibraphone (track 8)
• Gary Barnacle – flute and saxophone (track 10)
• Christophe "Jimmy Jay" Viguier – scratches (track 11)
• Courtney Pine – flute, alto and soprano saxophone (track 12)

Production

• Guru – producer, mixing, executive producer, concept development
• Donald Byrd – co-producer (track 2)
• N'Dea Davenport – co-producer (tracks: 3, 9)
• Branford Marsalis – co-producer (track 4)
• Ronny Jordan – co-producer (track 5)
• Lonnie Liston Smith – co-producer (track 6)
• Roy Ayers – co-producer (track 8)
• DJ Jimmy Jay – co-producer (track 11)
• MC Solaar – co-producer (track 11)
• Courtney Pine – co-producer (track 12)
• Carleen Anderson – co-producer (track 12)
• Philippe "Zdar" Cerboneschi – engineering
• James B. Mansfield – engineering
• Craig Marcus – engineering
• Kieran Walsh – engineering
• Jason Bell – engineering
• Joe Quinde – engineering
• Luke Allen – engineering assistant
• Doug Boehm – engineering assistant
• David Carpenter – engineering assistant
• Tracii D. Sherman – engineering assistant
• Tony Dawsey – mastering
• Patrick Moxey – executive producer, concept development
• Duff Marlowe – executive producer

Design

• Henry Marquez – art direction
• Diane Cuddy – design
• Michael Benabib – photography
• Marc Villalonga – photography
• Ray Burmiston – photography
• Bill Adler – liner notes

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1993) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[17] 62 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 67 French Albums (SNEP)[19] 139 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 43 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 24 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 49 UK Albums (OCC)[23] 58 US Billboard 200[24] 94 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[25] 15 2022 charting for Guru's Jazzmatazz. Vol. 1 Chart (2022) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 103 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 32

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[28] 78