About six or seven years ago, I started getting seriously
into jazz. The few Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock records I had
on my shelf were no longer enough for me, and I felt compelled to dive deep
into every facet of jazz I could find. I came out the other end of my journey a
free jazz head, my mind forever expanded by the possibilities of one of America’s
greatest art forms. This compulsion to explore the world of jazz is due almost
entirely to one document of hip-hop—another of America’s greatest art forms—Digable
Planets’ 1993 debut album Reachin’ (A New
Refutation of Time and Space).
Reachin’ is one of
jazz rap’s defining albums,[1]
setting a template that was followed by countless other likeminded acts. It was
a commercial and critical success as well, going Gold and winning Grammys on
the strength of hooky songs like “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” “Where I’m
From,” “Nickel Bags,” and “It’s Good to Be Here.” The album pulls you in
completely on the first listen, and it’s not surprising to me at all that it
has also sent a lot of other listeners down the jazz rabbit hole in search of
the album’s samples and beyond.[2]
