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Various Compost 050 (Compost/FusionIII)
Timbaland Tim's Bio (Delabel/Virgin) The king and originator of the stutter step beat has done a lot to influence the production styles of many a jiggified hip hop/R&B beatmaker, but nobody really makes them sound like Timbaland. Love him or hate him, his beats are original; or at least they were until everybody and their mama started biting his style. This album finds him with friends Missy Elliot and McGoo, goofing around on the mics and at the boards. Personally, the stutter thing gets to me after a while and I just run to turn it off, but before you do, check out the Nas/Mad Skills jam "For My" or "Lobster and Scrimp." Anyone who names himself after a boot must be doing something right... right? 6.5/10 (Scott C) Skalène Passion Macaque (Lost Chart)
Various Down in the Delta Soundtrack (Virgin) The music to this Maya Angelou-directed film is ripe with quality and wide ranging style. Me'Shell Ndegocello and Keb'Mo add a definite rock edge to the mix, while another pair, Luther Vandross and Cassandra Wilson, bring the jazz. In between there's soul aplenty thanks to artists like D'Angelo and Ashford & Simpson. Some stellar gospel from the Sounds of Blackness and Sweet Honey in the Rock put the cherry on top. 8/10 (Gerard Dee) Quincy Jones Big Band Bossa Nova (Verve/PolyGram)
Tommy Flanagan Sunset and the Mockingbird (Blue Note/EMI) The 1997 Jazz Fest appearance by pianist Flanagan's trio (with Peter Washington and Lewis Nash) was the event of that year in Montreal. Earlier, on March 16, the same trio was recorded live at New York's Village Vanguard. The occasion was Flanagan's 67th birthday and the resulting CD is piano trio playing at its very best. Three superlative musicians and a program of classic jazz--pieces by Thad Jones, Tom McIntosh, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. Don't miss this one! 10/10 (Len Dobbin)
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According to Compost honcho Michael Reinbooth, Germans are "more confused and openminded than people in the U.K.," at least musically. He claims that they are more diverse in their musical tastes than other Europeans. Whatever. He definitely has good taste, and 050 is a like a lovely walk through the Black Forest on a summer day; warm but shaded from the glare of the sun. 7.5/.10 (Krista)
Two guitarists and two percussionists make up this Québécois quartet. Unabashed fusion is the deal here, rhythms and melodies from every continent noodled together into a groovy rainbow poncho pattern. Jazz-funk meets Genesis far too frequently, but a focus on melody, not wankery, lifts Skalène above the ponytailed potsmoker pack that they might otherwise be trapped in. 7.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Verve is hitting us with a wave of reissues on the kitschy Latin lite tip, such as Cal Tjader's Soul Burst, a bossa nova box set and this curiosity. When Jones took a running leap at the Brazilian sound back in '62, doing standards like "Desafinado" and "One Note Samba," sexy nuance wasn't at the top of his list of priorities. This thing's about as smooth and sultry as an ass-pocket full of lit firecrackers. But see, he's Quincy Jones, he can do this--fuelling game show themes, soccer anthems and hip hop sample banks to come. 8.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)