Old School Education (2) - 'Talkin' All That Jazz'' by STETSASONIC

Taken From Stetsasonic's 12" on the Classic Tommy Boy Records.



Tracklisting:

A1 Talkin' All That Jazz (Extended Vocal) (7:00)
A2 Talkin' All That Jazz (Bob-ty-rodd-db-dad Dub) (7:34)
B1 Talkin' All That Jazz (Radio Version) (3:50)
B2 Talkin' All That Jazz (Dominoes Vocal) (3:50)
B3 Talkin' All That Jazz (Dominoes Instrumental) (4:30)

Biography

"Stetsasonic was an American hip hop group formed in 1981 (see 1981 in music) in Brooklyn, New York. It is remembered as one of the first hip-hop crews to use a live band, and their positive, uplifting lyrics have made the group forerunners of alternative hip hop and jazz hip-hop.

Stetsasonic was formed in 1981 in Brooklyn, New York and at the time were known as the Stetson Brothers, named after the Stetson Hats. The group consisted of 3 MCs, Daddy-O (who at the time was called Doctor ON), MC Delite and Crown Supreme. As time went by the group changed their name to STETSASONIC, which meant STYLISH SOUND. Soon the group was going through personal changes. Daddy-O and Delite were still with Stet, however, a change was made with the 3rd MC. As Crown Supreme exited the trio, a new member named MC Del D entered. Although the group was without a recording contract, they continued to perform and delight the audiences that they performed for.

In 1983, a new member was introduced to the group through a mutual friend, Wise the Human Mix Machine. On top of the 3 existing MCs, now there was a human beatbox. At this time he was no ordinary human beatbox, he had a lot to offer the group. He was not only the 1st latino human beatbox, but he had very unique sounds that not even Doug E. Fresh or Buff could produce. His human turntable technique made him very unique. This made any upcoming human beatbox want to get more creative with their sounds.

As time went by, personal changes continued. Soon Del D had exited the group and there were only the trio of Daddy-O, Delite and Wise. The latest trio continued on their journey to stardom in the hip-hop world. They entered in a rap contest that Mr. Magic from 107.5 WBLS was hosting. Out of 86 groups that entered the contest, the trio came in 1st place and won a recording contract with Sugarhill Records. The group never signed with Sugarhill Records due to contractual disagreements, however, the group were taken under Mr. Magic’s wing and became part of the Original Juice Crew with featured Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, Marley Marl, Debbie D (Us Girls), Mighty Mike Cee (Fearless Four), LA Sunshine (Treacherous Three) and a variety of other upcoming rap stars.

As time went by the group began to grow in numbers. Frukwan was the next to join, then came Prince Paul, then DBC and finally the Stet funky drummer, Bobby Simmons.

Mr.Magic introduced the group to Tommy Boy Records and the group or rather the band was on their way. In 1985, the band dropped their 1st single JUST SAY STET bw/ Rock de la Stet. Then in 1986 they dropped their debut album ON FIRE, which received mixed reviews. The follow-ups, In Full Gear and Blood, Sweat & No Tears were critically acclaimed. A 1988 New York Times article said that the group mirrored the rise of artistic, profound rap music: "While pop's political commentary often seems secondary to catchy melodies and commercial acceptability, rap's tough sound sharpens its commentary". [2] As a "hip hop band", dependent on instruments as well as turntables, the group was also known for live shows, though sometimes the "rap-show format prevented Stetsasonic from employing the band instrumentation and studio layering that make their records so distinctive." (Wikipedia)