Jazzanova

The Berlin-based Jazzanova is more like your dad's jazz, but it's certainly not your grandfather's jazz, or even his grandfather's jazz! This group keeps things characteristically fluid on Of All the Things. Sure, the word "jazz" factors into their name, and there is a lite, adult-friendly, nu jazz flow to let-your-hair-down to on songs like "Look What You're Doin' to Me" and "Let Me Show Ya." However, this is by no means elevator music, or even muzak. So please, don't go running for the hills to escape from Jazzanova! This music lends itself to a cultured, discerning and perhaps adult contemporary ear, but it's also appropriate for those who like romantic, relaxing tunes, regardless of age.

Jazzanova have developed their own unique blend of "Kraut" rock through the years, and the thoroughly chill Of All the Things is smoother than a newborn's bum! This is music that's meant to take the sting out of a long day and to set your brain on ice while you do nothing but zone out. "I Can See" and "So Far From Home" were invented for the express purpose of letting go of life's tensions in favor of meek, mild solitude that's pierced only by Jazzanova's oddly comfortable jams.

While Jazzanova is known for its remixes and DJing, the collective has gathered new equipment, snagged a gaggle of guest vocalists and coupled them with a refreshed approach for Of All the Things. The vocalists allow the music to breathe and foster an eclectic, unpredictable vibe. Ultimately, the voices are secondary to what Jazzanova does. Their main goal is to bring out layers upon layers of instrumentation through a focused attention to detail and to the fine-tuning and crafting of beats. It's rare that a band can marry looseness with definition and Jazzanova achieves the nearly impossible by shifting from the form of jazz to the nebulousness of beatsmithing in one swoop.

— Amy Sciarretto
10.23.08

Could it be? Is it really possible that one of the most innovative collectives in modern music could stoop to making a throwback soul record? (Perhaps they should have recruited Joss Stone as a guest vocalist.) Sarcasm aside, it's obvious that a soul record from a group like Jazzanova is quite a different proposition from the usual retro rot. So confident in their middle age that they feel no need to innovate (at least, purely for its own sake), the Berliner sextet ends up delivering one of the best soul albums of the era (or any other). True, the influences may be easy to spot -- Philly soul here, Motown there, plenty of '70s progressive jazz with taut strings or breezy woodwinds -- but with arrangements as accomplished as these are, and productions that crackle as gloriously as these do, the group can rest comfortably with their theft, genius as it is. Each track has a vocal feature, which might disappoint a few dance fans, but as with the first Jazzanova production LP (In Between), listeners won't spend long wishing they could hear instrumentals of these songs. The caressing vocalist Paul Randolph is responsible for a large share of the highlights, while Jazzanova must be proudest for snaring the smooth soul maverick Leon Ware to appear on a cover of his own "Rockin' You Eternally," with backing vocals from fellow Detroiter Dwele. (Still, Phonte from Little Brother is responsible for the record's greatest feat -- delivering a fine soul vocal on the opener "Look What You're Doin' to Me," then rapping just as well for "So Far from Home.") It's to be expected that Jazzanova would turn in excellent productions with every track, but what's most impressive about Of All the Things is the work that Jazzanova haven't made their forté in the past -- songwriting, arrangements, and the pairing of each vocalist with a song that works perfectly for them. (Credit for much of the songwriting and arranging for horn or strings goes to Stefan Leisering.) Whereas in the past, Jazzanova's preeminence was obvious on the surface, Of All the Things displays their subtle powers for music-making. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide