Motel: Press
Bassist Matt Grason is not the first artist to bring jazz and hip-hop together, but few have managed to achieve such a seamless union as Grason's brilliant Motel project. Combining tight modern jazz with the vocal talents of Washington, D.C.'s most creative freestylists, this intoxicating brew draws a direct lineage from 1960's pioneers the Last Poets but sounds absolutely fresh and relevant. Motel achieves that most difficult goal of any fusion project--it's good jazz, good hip-hop and just plain riveting music.
It's about that time, folks. Unbuckled 7, taking place this Thursday at DC9, is almost upon us, and we have an incredible bill featuring Muhsinah and Motel, two up-and-coming acts from the District who blur the lines between R&B, jazz, and hip-hop, as well as DJ v:shal kanwar, who is making waves in the city's electronica scene.
Matt Grason, a bandleader, bassist, and composer, is the brains behind Motel, a jazz/hip-hop collective that pairs D.C.'s finest young jazz players with the rhymes of our best MCs. Motel's recent release, Lost and Found, is a must for fans of the local music scene.
Motel - Lost and Found
Check-in time at the Motel
By KenKRK | 08/20/2007 | Filed under Music Rap/R and B
The combination of hip-hop and jazz is nothing new, but I’ve rarely heard it the way it’s done on Lost and Found. Jazz musician Matt Grason came up with the idea of forming the Motel Project back in 2006, having met several freestyle rap artists based in Washington, DC. The result is an inspired blend of spoken-word/rap, New York jazz, funk and rock.
Opening with “Please Sign In (A Freeunion)”, Grason creates the perfect atmosphere with his freewheeling strumming of acoustic bass, coupled with a collection of poets/MCs performing freestyle rhymes. It’s so simple and organic, and transports listeners into a dark and smoky juke joint. Usually, fusing jazz and hip-hop means re-interpreting the actual music to fit into a hip-hop context, whereas Grason and the musicians he’s assembled set out to prove that the two genres can co-exist without having to shape one to mesh with the other. If anything, they often seem to complement each other. “The Sorcerer” finds lyricist Priest Da Nomad rhyming with such fast-paced delivery, it’s almost as if his voice is as much an instrument as the saxophone or the piano. There’s a feeling of “on-the-spot” creativity from everyone involved, that you can never tell where Lost and Found is going to go next. The psychedelic rock vibe of the instrumental track “Turned Times”, for example, comes out of nowhere, showcasing trippy guitar riffs.
Other tracks on the album feel slightly more structured, including “Nearly Departed”. More in the vein of spoken word poetry, Cool Cee Brown rhymes about the loss of loved ones and ponders the existence of a higher being, with slow and thundering piano keys working to match the emotions of the lyrical content and delivery. Pain and melancholy eventually turns to anger and rage by the end of the seven-minute opus. On “Motel”, lyricist Yu weaves a variety of seedy tales about prostitutes and accidental teen pregnancy revolving around a motel on the wrong side of town.
All things considered, Lost and Found is as successful a collaborative effort as it could possibly be, exceeding my expectations. The combination of richly layered jazz music and unpredictable, though-provoking lyricism is immensely satisfying, and a testament to the creativity of all those involved. Very intimate and personal, Lost and Found genuinely wants to connect with listeners and create a very evocative experience.
The Motel Project is a truly progressive work. Professional bassist, Matt Grason, has assembled a spice rack of intriguing MCs and sprinkled them all over his jazzy compositions. As former members of D.C.'s Freestyle Union, the MCs possess more than unique qualities—blending aggressive delivery with spoken poetry. This all goes down on top of Grason and company's mix of free-jazz, fusion and rock. And the atmosphere? You guessed it. A dark, eerie motel...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matt Grason
1706 T St NW #5
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (917) 582-6657
http://www.welcometomotel.com/
matt@welcometomotel.com
Motel Project showcases the fusion of world-class hip-hop artists and cutting-edge jazz, releases debut CD in Washington, DC
Washington, DC – January 16, 2007 – Jazz bassist, bandleader and composer Matt Grason has collaborated with MCs from the former DC hip-hop collective Freestyle Union to form the musical group Motel, which will hold its debut CD release show at 9pm on Thursday, January 25, 2007 at DC9 nightclub in Washington, DC. The genre-bending album, “Lost and Found,” proves that artists can break the boundaries of conventional styles of music without compromising their own artistic voice--and still leave their respective audiences bobbing their heads.
The nine-song release contains 8 original compositions by Grason and a rendition of Herbie Hancock's tune, Sorcerer. Grason decided to try a radical experiment and present each of the contrasting works to different members of DC's elite hip-hop scene, unbeknownst to the others. The MCs then molded their distinctive styles to their track and the eclectic mix was finally assembled on one diverse album.
The MCs on “Lost and Found” met in the early 1990s in Washington DC through poet, performer and social activist Toni Blackman's Freestyle Union workshops, who designed her lessons to develop the next generation of socially-conscious rappers by fostering personal development and artistic skill. In time, the budding freestyle MCs formed a loose collective which drew critical acclaim throughout the Nineties and into the next decade though individual and collective performances, educational outreach and collaborations with such internationally-renowned musicians as Steve Coleman, Andy Milne, Greg Osby and Omar Sosa.
Motel is the brain child of Matt Grason, a graduate of Manhattan School of Music who has been playing bass in jazz and hip-hop outfits for 15 years. While working with the avant-garde band Miscellaneous Flux in 1999, he met Jabari Exum, aka Aura Gin of Hueman Prophets. It was Exum who would eventually take Grason's music and match it with other alumni of the former Freestyle Union collective, including Priest Da Nomad, Kokayi, Sub-Z, John Moon, Cool Cee Brown of Dirty Water and Hueman Prophets partner Straight Forward. Exum also brought DC artist Y.U. into the fold, both contributing vocals to the CD’s first single, the self-titled track “Motel.”
Grason selected fellow MSM alumni Jon Irabagon to play saxophones and Fresh Sound New Talent recording artist Jostein Gulbrandsen to play guitar on the recording. He tapped two other DC transplants to NYC to round out the band: keyboardist Raymond Angry (who performs with Michelle N'dege Ocello and Joss Stone) and drummer McClenty “Mac” Hunter.
DC9 (1940 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, 202.483.5000) is located two blocks from the U Street station of the DC Metro’s Green line in Northwest Washington, DC. The avant-garde group Cornell West Theory will open for Motel. CDs will be available at the show and Motel's release “Lost and Found” will be available at DC's local record stores, including Olsson's Books, CD Game Traders and Melody Music, as well as online at CD Baby and iTunes.
For information: http://www.welcometomotel.com/press.html
or http://www.sonicbids.com/Motel/
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Last night DC9 hosted a CD release party for Motel, an ensemble appropriately described as "the intersection of DC hip-hop with original NYC jazz." The show was remarkable. The MCs provided cerebral and socially aware lyrics well suited to the music, which was a superb amalgam of fusion and funk. I recommend Motel's new album, "Lost and Found."
Motel
www.welcometomotel.com
DC9 Nightclub
1940 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 (map)
202 483 5000 | www.dcnine.com