music :: jazz/funk :: reviews

by Jason Newman

Quincy Jones + Bill Cosby
The New Mixes
Concord Records

Long before he was kicking Theo's ass and grimacing every time that fat kid jumped in his lap, Bill Cosby was busy creating the aptly-named The Bill Cosby Show, his first sketch comedy TV show. Premiering in 1969, Cosby tapped Quincy Jones as his musical director, with both men sharing the idea of a losse, improvisational environment. Leaving the tape running with countless jazz and funk giants jamming yielded a shitload of amazing material that was forgotten for nearly 30 years while Jones patiently waited for electronica to be invented. While the original versions can be found on a separately-released disc, this album answers the question of how DJs such as Ursula 1000 and Mix Master Mike and jam-based bands like Soulive and Los Amigos Invisibles would remix the material. The result is a consistently engaging and funky album that always hits its mark. While each artist adds their own personal tastes, the retention and reverence of the original vibe is evident, thus creating an album that successfully summons the past, yet sounds as current as right....now. Just thank God Quincy chose this instead of The Cosby Mysteries.