Guru

The Profile

American rapper and co-founder of Gang Starr with DJ Premier, best known for the Jazzmatazz series blending hip hop with live jazz. Active from the mid-1980s until his death in 2010.

On Jazzmatazz, Volume 1 (1993), Guru collaborated with Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronny Jordan, Courtney Pine, Gary Barnacle, MC Solaar, and ’Ndea Davenport.

Duchamp hails Jazzmatazz, Volume 1 (1993) as a landmark fusion of hip hop and live jazz, introduced by Guru himself. The review situates it alongside Stetsasonic, The Roots, and Digable Planets, and contrasts it with US3. It highlights the heavyweight guest list: Donald Byrd, Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronny Jordan, Courtney Pine, Gary Barnacle, MC Solaar, and ’Ndea Davenport.