Jazz Thing (7")

Recorded at the height of hip-hop's jazz-sampling era, "Jazz Thing" stood apart by naming its influences directly in the verses rather than just sampling them quietly. Guru namechecks Thelonious Monk by name, and the track pulls two real Monk samples, including 1958's "Light Blue." This reissue carries both original mixes: the Video Mix and the Movie Mix, the latter built for Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues soundtrack, with DJ Premier swapping the underlying sample entirely (Kool & The Gang's 1971 "Dujii") rather than just stripping the vocals for a B-side. Guru's own history-lesson delivery here reads, in hindsight, like the real first draft of the Jazzmatazz series he'd go on to build an entire side career around.

7" Single, Mr Bongo reissue, original 1990 single

1. Jazz Thing (Video Mix)
2. Jazz Thing (Movie Mix)

Mr Bongo | From the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack | UPC: 7119691263670