Posted on 05/15/2008
There are fans who are anxious awaiting for full-length tours from Malik Flavors and Monk Hughes, the two former members of what was Yesterday's New Quintet.  Since that may never happen, their good friend Madlib has decided to represent the YNQ universe by going extra crazy with even more projects and collaborations than ever before.  Jackson Conti is a new project between him (Otis Jackson, Jr.) and Ivan "Mamão" Conti, known for his work with Azymuth.  Anyone who has followed with Madlib's more adventurous works in recent years knows of his love of music from around the world, especially the sounds of Brazil.  He has done a number of collaborations in the past, including the Brasilintime project where he and various hip-hop DJ's/collector went down to Brazil not only to find prime raers, but to speak with those who created the music, including Mamão.  After countless talks and perhaps a healthy exchange of pakalolo-type substances, they went into the studio to get even more heady than before.


Sujinho is definitely not going to be an album for everyone, for it's not 12 to 14 simple hip-hop/bossa nova hybrids, or Madlib applying hip-hop production over old Brazilian 45's. What you hear are some incredible songs, along with jam sessions that show the development and process of great songs to be, or simple jamming in order to find the perfect beat. That may sound like nothing more than abstract ideas, but they fit in with what Madlib has done for years, similar to those who scour records for the prime beats and top breaks. Some of the songs come off like that, where Mamão will play drums and percussion and allow Madlib to discover how the rhythms are made. Just as some have found the reggae rhythm to be difficult, Brazilian rhythms have a lot more involvement than what you hear, and in tracks like "Barumba", and "Xibaba" you get to hear some wonderful sounds that are sure to age well in the coming years. It may sound as familiar as those classic records, but there's modern life in this music. It's distinctly Brazilian due to the percussion of Mamão, but there's a trippy groove that is undeniably Madlib, where one can't tell when the grooves begin, end, or you the listener just interrupting. Anyone who appreciated the funky haze of YNQ or some of Monk Hughes' own projects will love the claustrophonic yet open vibe of such songs as "Praça Da Republica", "Upa Neguinho", and the ten minute "Papaya", which begins with a very intense drum presentation from Mamão before the song properly begins (and when it does, some might mistake the introductory melody as being that of Player's "Baby Come Back"). "Berimbau", which moves in a 3/4 time signature, sounds like something Jazzanova would sample from, and even has a slight Asian feel in the second half with an instrument that sounds a bit like a koto (think of the Japanese jazz group Hiroshima).



Musically, it is a mixture of the various styles of Brazil, plus soul, funk, and especially jazz (the soprano saxophone solo in "Amazon Scroll" sounds like something you would hear on a Gato Barbieri album or played by Andrew Woolfolk on an Earth, Wind & Fire record). One can listen to Sujinho as an album of newly created songs for future samples, or as an other worldly recording that has the warmth of a classic album from the 1970's but with the urgency of today. Some of the songs sound carefully arranged, but as one of the spoken interludes reveals, sometimes it's about the importance of improvisation and simply playing from feel. It's difficult to say who outside of jazz would create an album like this, and the fact that someone from within the hip-hop circle made this is a testament to Madlib's incredible talent, to be able to construct beats and be open in exploring the potential of the music inside and out.

- John Book