Joining NTJAM ROSIE on the bill tomorrow night (Thursday 29th August) at Jazz re:freshed is DJ 2-TONE JONES, who you are probably familiar with due to his collaborative Hip Hop Jazz project, Shaolin Jazz: The 37th Chamber.
Conceived by Gerald Watson and produced by DJ 2-Tone Jones, SHAOLIN JAZZ – The 37th Chamber is a testament to the stylistic connection between both Jazz and Hip-Hop. It is a mix project whereby various Jazz songs and breaks are fused with a cappellas and vocal samples from the iconic Hip-Hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The music and lyrics are astutely crafted to match both in cadence and tone, with the Jazz selections used also helping to further accentuate the essence and intensity of the Clan. The initial inspiration for SHAOLIN JAZZ came by way of graphic designer Logan Walters who recreated a series of Wu-Tang album covers to resemble those of earlier Blue Note and Impulse Jazz album covers.
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As the project came together it became apparent that it was going to be more than just a simple novelty piece. Much like albums by Digable Planets, Buckshot LeFonque, and Guru’s Jazzmatazz series, SHAOLIN JAZZ is a work of art that not only re-emphasizes the greatness of the artists involved, but serves to further the connection between Jazz and Hip-Hop, while also educating those unfamiliar about both genres. Moreover, hopefully fans of Hip-Hop will have a better understanding of the origins of the music they enjoy and Jazz aficionados will gain more of an appreciation for various aspects of Hip-Hop.
You can learn more about the Shaolin Jazz Project, listen and download it HERE
A true fundamentals DJ, 2-Tone Jones speaks with his hands as in the tradition of Hip-Hop’s founding element, and through his bottomless crates has rocked parties across the country as well as locations in South Africa, UK and Denmark. On the performance side 2-Tone has shared the stage, and spun alongside, the likes of De La Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Questlove, Robert Glasper, Brand Nubian, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Pete Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Wizard Theodore, Large Professor, Camp Lo, Algebra Blessett, Waajeed, Daz-I-Que, Jabba (HHP), Oddisee, and Asheru. He was also the DJ-in-residence and artist for Shaman Work Recordings, an independent Hip-Hop music label whose roster included CL Smooth, MF Doom, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Wale Oyejide, John Robinson, Scienz of Life, and others. During that time he created several promo mixes for the label and released 2 projects: Black Gold: The Afro-Future Mixes (a remix/mash-up album with Wale Oyejide) & A Brief Education on the Musical Genius of Jay Dee (heralded as one of the top Jay Dee/J Dilla tribute mixtapes released to-date).
DJ 2-Tone performs as a member of Sound of the City; a live band comprised of multi-talented musicians, songwriters and producers who have provided instrumental backing for several major recording artists including Marsha Ambrosious, Raheem DeVaughn, Dwele, Chrisette Michelle, Bilal, Tracey Lee, and the late Chuck Brown. Along with a handful of highly-acclaimed visual artists, Mr. Jones is a founding member of a cutting-edge art troupe/marketing group known as AM Radio: Artwork Mbilashaka. Their client list has included Adidas, Heineken, Toyota, Honda and Timberland. He is also a founding member of the Diamond Cutterz, a crew of elite DJ’s from the Washington DC area that includes DJ Funk Regulator Celo [DC Hip-Hop & Go-Go Legend], DJ Roddy Rod [Low Budget Crew/Maspyke] and DJ Cuzzin B [True School Corp].
For over 7 years 2-Tone has served as a resident DJ and co-host for Ill Street Grooves, a progressive hip-hop radio show on WPFW 89.3 FM (Pacifica Radio) in DC. As of January 2013 he began hosting a second show, along with fellow Diamond Cutter DJ RBI, called Cut Convention every Thursday online @ 3pm (Est) on www.ListenVisionLive.com.
Make sure you catch him spinning tomorrow at NTJAM ROSIE’S UK ALBUM LAUNCH, for more info click HERE
