#whosehatisthis

On the second track of the live and all-improvised album Everything’s OK, Baltimore hip-hop artist Kokayi sings, “I’ve got pre-dug holes and a map of them,” letting listeners know that the free jazz ensemble Whose Hat is This? is about to bury any expectations about jazz and hip-hop. The ensemble boasts a powerhouse of lesser known touring legends: saxophonist and flutist Kebbi Williams (Outkast), bassist Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie), and drummers Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (Col. Bruce Hampton) and JJ Johnson (John Mayer). The magnitude of this ensemble’s sound is hard to fathom considering the relatively small number of instrumental players. The two drummers work together seamlessly to ground the nearly out-of-control aesthetic that unfolds between the competing but complementary melodic figures. The music is sinister, frequently atonal, and brutally dissonant at times. Kokayi growls, “I see you, baby. I know your tricks. You got me twisted on the side of the ditch” over a bleating saxophone and primal rhythm section that feels closer to hardcore than jazz. The group synthesizes a wide range of disparate styles on Everything’s OK and transitions with hive mind-like effortlessness from track to track. For example, the ensemble easily morphs the character of their sound from the drum and bass speed of “Release the Cracklins” to the more relaxed reggae-styled “Tub-A-Love” without losing the continuity of their aesthetic. Throughout the album, Kokayi owns his role as guest front man and delivers his free prose with a quick, clear articulation and an imposing presence (e.g., “Jon Homes”). For the more traditional hip-hop, jazz fusion enthusiast, the group pays tribute to A Tribe Called Quest in their re-imagination of “Buggin’ Out” through “Kebbi Played a Note”. The homage functions as a brief hiatus from the intensity of the group’s untamed sound. Everything’s OK represents a pinnacle of untethered jazz that exceeds all expectations. Curious and open listeners will happily be buried with the old relics of their expectations underneath the dirty sounds of the future.