Review: Gary Bartz, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, & Adrian Younge, “Gary Bartz JID006”

In some ways, writing about the Jazz Is Dead series is like explaining a joke: you walk into it feeling like you’re going to ruin what you set out to praise. Developed by entertainment law prof-turned-multi-instrumentalist and producer Adrian Younge and his musical influence-turned-collaborator Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, the series sets out to prove its own title wrong. And while that might come off as a little groan-worthy, the project actually succeeds in its obvious goal, giving us new music from some of the genre’s greats.

The first chapter of the series acts as an introductory compilation, while instalments 2-6 cast the spotlight on a different musical legend. Young and Muhammad put their signature stamp on the entire series with their old school hip-hop vibes and production style, and the results vary from a little boring (JID004, with Brazilian jazz-funk trio Azymuth) to groove mastery (005, with Doug Carn) and smooth-mood setting perfection (002, with Roy Ayers). Their work here with alto sax genius Gary Bartz is the best of the series so far. 

Part of the reason why this collaboration works so well is Bartz’s ability to blend his style with the musicians he’s working with. Some of that success comes from his instrument’s ability to cut through the heavy bass tones on the album, but for the most part, the credit belongs to Bartz as a player.

While other genre-pillars might try to force these young bucks to play by their terms, Bartz seems to embrace the 21st Century touch Young and Muhammad give to the music. Bartz has every reason to carry ego into the creative process: he’s played his instrument for 70 years; he’s toured and/or recorded with jazz gods like Pharoah Sanders, Max Roach, and Miles Davis; critics have raved about his solo work since the ‘70s. But no ego can be found in his sound on this record. Every move he makes serves the whole. 

Whether live or recorded, jazz can reach a magic where you can’t recognize who’s leading, where each player sounds completely free, but the result is still a unified, coherent beauty. It’s where the genre meets its inherent spirituality. Bartz, Muhammad, and Younge manage to tap into this unity within these eight tracks. That’s a feat that doesn’t belong between one of six other records. It’s a stand-alone testament to this genre’s immortality.