Hip hop producer Madlib and jazz drummer Karriem Riggins have teamed up as Jahari Massamba Unit with a new album coming

Hip hop producer Madlib and jazz drummer Karriem Riggins have teamed up as Jahari Massambi Unit with a new album coming called “Pardon My French” via Madlib Invazion. The album will debut on Black Friday Record Store Day. Madlib plays all of the instruments on the record with the exception of drums, which are handled by Riggins. The first single “Les Jardins Esméraldins (Pour Caillard)” is called after producer favourite wine, as all the songs on the album borrow their names from wines. Madlib said: “We would have called it Spiritual Jazz but Phil Ranelin told us to call it Black Classical Music”.

Madlib and Karriem Riggins have teamed up for a first time in 2007, and then few other times over the years, every time releasing a some compositions under various monikers like Supreme Team and Jahari Massambi Unit. This time the collaboration was more fruitful and they’ve announced a full-length jazz album.

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Watch below a video to Madlib and Karriem Riggins as Jahari Massambi Unit “Les Jardins Esméraldins (Pour Caillard)”, from their forthcoming album “Pardon My French”:

In 2001, Madlib moved away from hip hop music and began a series of releases from Yesterdays New Quintet, a jazz-based, hip hop and electronic-influenced quintet made up of alter-egos or fictional musicians played by Madlib. Over the next several years, through several record releases on Stones Throw and other labels, the growing number of pseudonyms and fictional players came to be known as Yesterdays Universe. Madlib was later invited to remix tracks from the Blue Note Records archive in 2003, which he released as "Shades of Blue". In addition to the remixes, the album contained newly recorded interpretations of Blue Note originals, many of which were credited to members of Yesterdays New Quintet. Beginning with the 2007 album "The Funky Side of Life" by Yesterdays New Quintet spin-off group Sound Directions, the Yesterdays Universe also began incorporating additional session musicians who were not pseudonyms of Madlib.

Listen below to Madlib and Karriem Riggins as Jahari Massambi Unit “Les Jardins Esméraldins (Pour Caillard)”, from their forthcoming album “Pardon My French”: