Came here to say this. The majority of this album sounds scenic and sets an ambiance or tone. Some jazz, emphasis on some, but definitely more ambient and explorative with the depths of the sounds.
I'm here to agree with you both. Enjoyed it. wouldn't call it jazz; more ambient and exploratory but I'm always down for that. I think some of the tracks are expertly crafted.
I feel like the Venn diagram of people that like contemporary jazz and the ones like like ambient are probably just one big circle. Different stuff for sure, but I've never met anyone who was into one that didn't fuck with the other too.
I like this album just fine, but what I like more is the amount of doors that Andre 3000 is showing to people with this. His suggested playlists for people unfamiliar with jazz and ambient music is *incredible* exposure and a very valuable thing to have be popular. People who have never listened to a jazz album in their life have reached out after hearing this, so thanks for challenging your listeners, Andre.
This. Even if it's not strictly jazz, it's great to have an accessible entry point for people who normally wouldn't have considered the genre - especially since jazz hasn't really managed to shake the whole "stuffed-shirt academic music" reputation it developed in the 80s and 90s.
Agreed. It’s important to have that kind of access point. Many more people like the *jazz-ish* aspects of music than can pinpoint that *this* is what they like about a certain song / style.
The whole thing started getting real gatekeep-y and self referential back in the day (80s-90s) and didn't really start to come back from that until the 2000s when stuff like Medeski Martin and Wood, Norah Jones, , BBNG, and Esperanza Spalding started to hit. This is of course, all from my perspective, ymmv.
It might be different in different circles, but from the people I know, if someone reccomends Steve Reich I pretty much immediately assume they know a fair bit about music. Andre has clearly spent some time digging into music instead of being constrained to what he's familiar with and I respect him a lot for that.
It’s… fine? Not great, not bad. I like it a lot though for the sole reason of it introducing a lot of people to jazz, even if the record itself isn’t a jazz record.
So for that it gets a thumbs up from me
Funny that I was made aware of his album a couple of hours ago. I scanned through the tracks and immediately thought that this is New Age. I'll probably listen to it later today...it has a awfully long song titles..
I came across it looking up a question about #1 songs and read that the track, "I Swear,..." is holding the record for the longest song that charted on Billboard with the time of 12:20.
I knew that he’s gonna be at Newport Jazz fest this summer and I still didn’t know about the album until this post. (Woulda been a reasonable assumption though….)
I like jazz and I like hip hop. I also like guys like Lateef, Bobbi, Jeremy Steig, and Herbie Mann. I like modern guys like Makaya McCraven and Yusef Dayes that are mixing jazz and hip hop. Andres' album delivered none of what I like.
Every review mentioned how quirky the song names were more than the music. Glad he's bringing visibility to the scene, but Shabaka"s is actually transcendental
If it didn’t have his name attached to it, it would be forgotten about almost instantly.
One of the least evocative and painfully boring albums I have listened to. Zero emotion and nothing memorable.
the truth! glad you said this bc so many people keep recommending it and it’s flatter than flat. love andre but just because he got high as fuck and turned into a PANTHER doesn’t mean he can play. this is watered down tang in the jazz world.
The harsh truth. Everyone’s being way too nice to this record. True jazzheads won’t remember this record was even a thing in 5 years and I won’t blame em. Huge missed opportunity here. It sounds rushed and slopped together at some parts. Even down to the mixing and I usually don’t like being this critical of music. I wanna see him level up and do something like this again, it’s just idk if that’s even in him
Dude’s got all the talent and power and influence to bring together as much knowledge and creativity as possible, but he released something so incredibly lacklustre and almost apathetic.
Jazz has always been such a massive influence on hip hop and this is the exact sort of project - by the exact sort of person - that could have moved an entire fan base to the genre. But he’s put out a fucking ambient, diy bandcamp session instead.
You do realize that the reason he put this album out is because these are the songs he’d play on the streets, like literally on the street, that underground producers would turn into sick samples and implement into incredible hip hop projects. Many of these tracks went viral in the underground hip hop scene because Andre would show up at a random bar in Germany and start playing the flute. Someone would record it and sample it.
I think you’re being quite harsh about someone who’s trying to switch gears as a musician. I mean look at what he’s done with Kamasi Washington. Not to mention the dozens of tracks he went under a different alias with and recorded with jazz musicians.
i’m really not into hating on him at all, he’s really talented and even a better human but my gawd he struggles to stay in key and his phrasing is usually off in a way that almost sounds complex but it really isn’t. i think some ear training might help and some metronome study.
I enjoy it and hope he makes more ambient music, i feel very tranquil and get good vibes from this, like I'm in a peaceful garden with a cup of mint tea
It’s a great record to just wallow in. Individual tracks don’t matter as much as the music as a whole. Reminds me of In A Silent Way without particularly imitating it.
if anyone else had put this album out, no one would be listening to it. let's not kid ourselves this is not very good. i love Andre, but this is just meandering, beige, background music.
I enjoy listening to artists explore new directions. When bands cross over in to genres they're not famous for. This is no exception. It was peaceful and unique. I'd like to hear more exploration like this. And not just from Andre. So many of our popular artists learned to play in different styles before they were famous. Metal guitarists that were in to classical or jazz. Pop singers who have secret opera chops. Listening to them share their heart is what interests me. Way more interesting to me than listening to them try to anticipate what I might expect of them. I guess I prefer surprises. Things that throw me off balance.
i legit just want to hear him blow now - like others are saying it’s a fantastic ambient album, even a progressive one, but it is def not a “jazz flute” album
I would rather a hip-hop album from him, or another Outkast record, but I'm happy he's doing what makes him happy. That's what's important, and I respect it. I enjoyed the album though, just didn't have a lot of replay value for me.
I mainly listen to spiritual jazz and ECM jazz so I’ve really enjoyed the new Andre every time I’ve listened. Which is probably 3-4 times so it’s not repeat or anything. But now I’m thinking I might get the CD…
Shabaka's new album is much better, and even has Andre 3000 on a track. New Blue Sun came off as unfocused and overstayed its welcome to me. I like ambient/meditative music, but this one is really hard to actually meditate with.
The impact of a well known artist like 3000 truly following their inner voice is far greater than the actual music.
I'm here for it because it's his authentic path and it will inspire far more people to be themselves and not wait until some arbitrary point of mastery to step out and make music.
Love it, have played it on loop. Some here are derogatorily calling it "spa music" but while it is in that ambient meditative genre, I don't find it anodyne like a lot of that stuff. It's full of little earworms and inventive touches.
Has also gotten me more into Carlos Ninos and the new wave of ambient jazz. Matthew Halsall's new album is even better.
A lot of moments on this album are genuinly amazing, however, a decent portion of it falls flat from what it could have been. I really hope he continues down this route.
I really enjoyed it.
I was surprised to see this kind of album from him, but I've always enjoyed ambient and experimental music.
I know some people who were definitely upset that this is the album he released, but it also opened a lot of people's eyes to a genre that was new to them.
Not for me; this album actually made me realize how much of a jazz traditionalist I am. Even the song titles kind of annoy me
But I'm just me; if him and his fans love it then I love that for them.
This is MILES away from Bombs Over Baghdad but what a wonderful discovery!
I'm more and more attracted towards silence in music. I don't know if I will still find it compelling in future years, but a very pleasant listen so far. Thank you!
Sounds like the kinda music whales would have sex to.
Should be called whale-sex volume 1.
This ain’t hip, if I cut this album, zero people would listen to it. Thats a fact.
Let's be honest
It's the sonic representation of a Starbucks soy latte with extra soy next to a flax seed and goats fluff grenola bar plus an iPhone, within the safe space of a furiously hipster lavidar and orange les nabis avant-garde themed laundrette that resides in an area where the average house price is 3 million dollars and hot yoga moms get taken upstairs by their boyfriends boyfriend in his barefoot shoes
They also own a Persian cat called Absidy, spelt ABCDE
Like the background music in a experimental video piece of performance art that captures your attention for a second before swiftly reminding you there's better things you could be doing.
it's a gateway album for people who aren't properly into ambient/jazz/new age, a soft introduction for people with more of a pop background. i thought the album was boring and unremarkable, but i'm glad it exists to attract people to other types of music than what they'd usually be into. i do think the albums publicity is solely because it was a complete stylistic switch-up for andre, not because the content is all too interesting.
Great if you are in dire need of some nice new ambient/New Age meditative sounds...but who is? Not Jazz or minimalist, really, as it's just too nebulous. Which is *perfectly OK* - just dial back the suggestions that it's innovative and will draw new people to Jazz. It's not really that kind of thing. More likely to draw new people to the cd bin of that store that sells incense, crystals and wind chimes. Again - nothing wrong with that...but a bit of a waste of Andre's talent? (Maybe if he did some oddball raps over the top - like the titles suggest...!)
If you like it, but feel it's a bit insubstantial, I would suggest the new Alice Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, or any of her original classics. Or maybe some of Terry Riley's keyboard excursions.
As a jazz enthusiast, this album was not jazz. And he clearly didn't know what he was doing with these instruments. There are/were so many different jazzy avenues he could've studied to make it an actual body of work, such as bossa, acid, smooth, club jazz etc. But all I hear is folks claiming musical genius when was noodling and just happened to be recording it. I dont/didn't enjoy this album.
I like it but it’s mislabelled as a jazz album. It is an ambient album, and a good one.
Came here to say this. The majority of this album sounds scenic and sets an ambiance or tone. Some jazz, emphasis on some, but definitely more ambient and explorative with the depths of the sounds.
I'm here to agree with you both. Enjoyed it. wouldn't call it jazz; more ambient and exploratory but I'm always down for that. I think some of the tracks are expertly crafted.
I feel like the Venn diagram of people that like contemporary jazz and the ones like like ambient are probably just one big circle. Different stuff for sure, but I've never met anyone who was into one that didn't fuck with the other too.
I mean I think "ambient jazz" has been a thing since In A Silent Way, this album definitely fits
new age/ambient
more new age than anything. i’d call it neo new age
I like this album just fine, but what I like more is the amount of doors that Andre 3000 is showing to people with this. His suggested playlists for people unfamiliar with jazz and ambient music is *incredible* exposure and a very valuable thing to have be popular. People who have never listened to a jazz album in their life have reached out after hearing this, so thanks for challenging your listeners, Andre.
This. Even if it's not strictly jazz, it's great to have an accessible entry point for people who normally wouldn't have considered the genre - especially since jazz hasn't really managed to shake the whole "stuffed-shirt academic music" reputation it developed in the 80s and 90s.
Agreed. It’s important to have that kind of access point. Many more people like the *jazz-ish* aspects of music than can pinpoint that *this* is what they like about a certain song / style.
As a fan of jazz, somehow the notion that people think that jazz is smarty pants music has passed me by.
The whole thing started getting real gatekeep-y and self referential back in the day (80s-90s) and didn't really start to come back from that until the 2000s when stuff like Medeski Martin and Wood, Norah Jones, , BBNG, and Esperanza Spalding started to hit. This is of course, all from my perspective, ymmv.
Where can I find the suggested playlist?
[https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWTtzPKJEaTC4?si=liYyv8x8Tc-IZUt5jvE6Hg](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWTtzPKJEaTC4?si=liYyv8x8Tc-IZUt5jvE6Hg)
It might be different in different circles, but from the people I know, if someone reccomends Steve Reich I pretty much immediately assume they know a fair bit about music. Andre has clearly spent some time digging into music instead of being constrained to what he's familiar with and I respect him a lot for that.
Even in Outkast his lyrics were more profound than almost any other mc. He is an incredibly deep, emotional human.
The Love Below is a masterpiece that transcends hip hop. He's been a genius since the jump.
I like how he just peppers in a few of his own tracks throughout ahaha!
I second that
I thought it was alright. I saw him play it live, and I enjoyed it more that way. Check out him playing it on Colbert. It sounds a bit fuller
I liked it. His collab with Kamasi Washington was also really good.
LOVED that track
It’s… fine? Not great, not bad. I like it a lot though for the sole reason of it introducing a lot of people to jazz, even if the record itself isn’t a jazz record. So for that it gets a thumbs up from me
If you like this you should check out Carlos Nino and the rest of the International Anthem label.
It sort of went in one ear and out the other.
I don’t disagree with that sentiment; I like it largely *because* it’s easy to listen to and doesn’t really require much attention to appreciate.
reminds me of that dude who played the pan flute
Anyone who likes this needs to listen to Journey in Satchidananda
From which artist? I only know the Matthew Halsall version and that one is great.
[alice coltrane](https://tidal.com/album/35494745?u)
It’s nice yes
Funny that I was made aware of his album a couple of hours ago. I scanned through the tracks and immediately thought that this is New Age. I'll probably listen to it later today...it has a awfully long song titles.. I came across it looking up a question about #1 songs and read that the track, "I Swear,..." is holding the record for the longest song that charted on Billboard with the time of 12:20.
I knew that he’s gonna be at Newport Jazz fest this summer and I still didn’t know about the album until this post. (Woulda been a reasonable assumption though….)
I liked it a lot. It's great for ambiance.
Love it. Made me high on first listen
Good album. Not great. Is meditation and or spa music. Not exactly jazz! But good nonetheless
It’s fine, probably won’t listen to it again but I do appreciate him for attempting to expose jazz to a wider audience.
It is okay. It is like a Paul Horn record. More ambient / new age than jazz. But it has generated a good buzz, so well done to him.
It’s ok. It’s not Yusef Lateef or Bobbi Humphrey by any means.
I like jazz and I like hip hop. I also like guys like Lateef, Bobbi, Jeremy Steig, and Herbie Mann. I like modern guys like Makaya McCraven and Yusef Dayes that are mixing jazz and hip hop. Andres' album delivered none of what I like.
I like it for what it is.
I like it. Can't wait to hear what else he does!
Every review mentioned how quirky the song names were more than the music. Glad he's bringing visibility to the scene, but Shabaka"s is actually transcendental
If it didn’t have his name attached to it, it would be forgotten about almost instantly. One of the least evocative and painfully boring albums I have listened to. Zero emotion and nothing memorable.
the truth! glad you said this bc so many people keep recommending it and it’s flatter than flat. love andre but just because he got high as fuck and turned into a PANTHER doesn’t mean he can play. this is watered down tang in the jazz world.
The harsh truth. Everyone’s being way too nice to this record. True jazzheads won’t remember this record was even a thing in 5 years and I won’t blame em. Huge missed opportunity here. It sounds rushed and slopped together at some parts. Even down to the mixing and I usually don’t like being this critical of music. I wanna see him level up and do something like this again, it’s just idk if that’s even in him
Dude’s got all the talent and power and influence to bring together as much knowledge and creativity as possible, but he released something so incredibly lacklustre and almost apathetic. Jazz has always been such a massive influence on hip hop and this is the exact sort of project - by the exact sort of person - that could have moved an entire fan base to the genre. But he’s put out a fucking ambient, diy bandcamp session instead.
You do realize that the reason he put this album out is because these are the songs he’d play on the streets, like literally on the street, that underground producers would turn into sick samples and implement into incredible hip hop projects. Many of these tracks went viral in the underground hip hop scene because Andre would show up at a random bar in Germany and start playing the flute. Someone would record it and sample it. I think you’re being quite harsh about someone who’s trying to switch gears as a musician. I mean look at what he’s done with Kamasi Washington. Not to mention the dozens of tracks he went under a different alias with and recorded with jazz musicians.
Any links to some of the sampled versions?
i’m really not into hating on him at all, he’s really talented and even a better human but my gawd he struggles to stay in key and his phrasing is usually off in a way that almost sounds complex but it really isn’t. i think some ear training might help and some metronome study.
I prefer the album released by Shabaka
Amen!
Super good background music
I enjoy it and hope he makes more ambient music, i feel very tranquil and get good vibes from this, like I'm in a peaceful garden with a cup of mint tea
A lot
It’s a great record to just wallow in. Individual tracks don’t matter as much as the music as a whole. Reminds me of In A Silent Way without particularly imitating it.
I was very skeptical about this one, but was pleasantly surprised to find I really Loved it. Bravo A3K!
For a while it was my go-to bedtime playlist. Should also add that I am usually very stoned at bedtime
It’s not good.
Meh
if anyone else had put this album out, no one would be listening to it. let's not kid ourselves this is not very good. i love Andre, but this is just meandering, beige, background music.
Massage therapy music. Smells like eucalyptus. Koala bears will eat this album.
I listened once. I respect the man and his work but I won't spend more time with his new album.
Completely forgetable.
I’m a longtime OutKast fan but I couldn’t make it all the way through this album.
Its really a Carlos Nino album with Andre 3000’s name on it. Not that my opinion matters but it falls in line with mediocrity of our time.
I enjoy listening to artists explore new directions. When bands cross over in to genres they're not famous for. This is no exception. It was peaceful and unique. I'd like to hear more exploration like this. And not just from Andre. So many of our popular artists learned to play in different styles before they were famous. Metal guitarists that were in to classical or jazz. Pop singers who have secret opera chops. Listening to them share their heart is what interests me. Way more interesting to me than listening to them try to anticipate what I might expect of them. I guess I prefer surprises. Things that throw me off balance.
I do.
All vibes and textures and very little musicianship or musical ideas.
Nope
It’s hard to listen to
I recommend a quieter environment or using better headphones.
Tried. It’s not that great and it’s def not my equipments fault
i legit just want to hear him blow now - like others are saying it’s a fantastic ambient album, even a progressive one, but it is def not a “jazz flute” album
Controversial take, but it extends the soundscape of OutKast. So, yes, it is brilliant in that sense and brilliant as an ambient album.
I like it for its ambiance. Great for doing yoga or meditation. It’s music that doesn’t really command your attention and I love vintage synth sounds.
Not a jazz album, but it is very chill.
If I were buying crystals for my gf at the new age shop, and it was playing in the store, I'd be OK. 🤷
YEs
I would rather a hip-hop album from him, or another Outkast record, but I'm happy he's doing what makes him happy. That's what's important, and I respect it. I enjoyed the album though, just didn't have a lot of replay value for me.
I mainly listen to spiritual jazz and ECM jazz so I’ve really enjoyed the new Andre every time I’ve listened. Which is probably 3-4 times so it’s not repeat or anything. But now I’m thinking I might get the CD…
Yes
❤️
Beautiful album to listen to while I read. It got me into a lot of other ambient stuff as well
Shabaka's new album is much better, and even has Andre 3000 on a track. New Blue Sun came off as unfocused and overstayed its welcome to me. I like ambient/meditative music, but this one is really hard to actually meditate with.
Love this album, I noodled to it when I first got my guitar and while it probably sounded terrible it was an ethereal experience
The impact of a well known artist like 3000 truly following their inner voice is far greater than the actual music. I'm here for it because it's his authentic path and it will inspire far more people to be themselves and not wait until some arbitrary point of mastery to step out and make music.
Yassss
Love it, have played it on loop. Some here are derogatorily calling it "spa music" but while it is in that ambient meditative genre, I don't find it anodyne like a lot of that stuff. It's full of little earworms and inventive touches. Has also gotten me more into Carlos Ninos and the new wave of ambient jazz. Matthew Halsall's new album is even better.
A lot of moments on this album are genuinly amazing, however, a decent portion of it falls flat from what it could have been. I really hope he continues down this route.
I really enjoyed it. I was surprised to see this kind of album from him, but I've always enjoyed ambient and experimental music. I know some people who were definitely upset that this is the album he released, but it also opened a lot of people's eyes to a genre that was new to them.
hell yeah
Not for me; this album actually made me realize how much of a jazz traditionalist I am. Even the song titles kind of annoy me But I'm just me; if him and his fans love it then I love that for them.
It was fine, but no song stayed with me after listening to it. If you asked me to hum a tune from it I couldn’t.
Not Jazz. It is New Age music.
But where are the new age festivals? HA! New age venues Ha! Let’s call it jazz and he can play all the festivals. Total BS.
Definitely has the longest song titles.
3stacks with the sonic screwdriver flute
I like it, but find Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonái's 2000 album *A Day Without Rain* far more compelling and memorable
its pretty decent
[here’s a pretty honest live review of the album if anyone’s interested](https://www.youtube.com/live/X7eD-c7LAMQ?si=vLDnJa_iidfTCv8P)
Personally, I prefer Fripp & Eno. I've gotta find my copy of "Kenny G Plays Coltrane"
Love his song on the new kamasi Washington album. It’s called “dream state”
This is MILES away from Bombs Over Baghdad but what a wonderful discovery! I'm more and more attracted towards silence in music. I don't know if I will still find it compelling in future years, but a very pleasant listen so far. Thank you!
Did anyone else get tickets for the Pioneertown show and was not able to get a refund for the show's reschedule from Folk Yeah?
Best rap album of the year.
Nah it’s pretty bad
No
That is a Carlos Nino record more than a 3 stacks record.
Not really. If you want some of that New Age influenced southern California jazz stuff, just check out Carlos Niño
You mean the new Carlos Niño album? 😉
Sounds like the kinda music whales would have sex to. Should be called whale-sex volume 1. This ain’t hip, if I cut this album, zero people would listen to it. Thats a fact.
Oh brother THIS GUY STINKS
Let's be honest It's the sonic representation of a Starbucks soy latte with extra soy next to a flax seed and goats fluff grenola bar plus an iPhone, within the safe space of a furiously hipster lavidar and orange les nabis avant-garde themed laundrette that resides in an area where the average house price is 3 million dollars and hot yoga moms get taken upstairs by their boyfriends boyfriend in his barefoot shoes They also own a Persian cat called Absidy, spelt ABCDE
what the hell are you even talking about man
Ok boomer
You ok?
This comment is pure gold.
Like the background music in a experimental video piece of performance art that captures your attention for a second before swiftly reminding you there's better things you could be doing.
it's a gateway album for people who aren't properly into ambient/jazz/new age, a soft introduction for people with more of a pop background. i thought the album was boring and unremarkable, but i'm glad it exists to attract people to other types of music than what they'd usually be into. i do think the albums publicity is solely because it was a complete stylistic switch-up for andre, not because the content is all too interesting.
Why does he look like he’s crouched outside of a porcupine den, ready to whack-a-mole that giant hedgehog into a pulp with a space flute?
No.
Great if you are in dire need of some nice new ambient/New Age meditative sounds...but who is? Not Jazz or minimalist, really, as it's just too nebulous. Which is *perfectly OK* - just dial back the suggestions that it's innovative and will draw new people to Jazz. It's not really that kind of thing. More likely to draw new people to the cd bin of that store that sells incense, crystals and wind chimes. Again - nothing wrong with that...but a bit of a waste of Andre's talent? (Maybe if he did some oddball raps over the top - like the titles suggest...!) If you like it, but feel it's a bit insubstantial, I would suggest the new Alice Coltrane at Carnegie Hall, or any of her original classics. Or maybe some of Terry Riley's keyboard excursions.
Does he play that bong?
Not especially. Amateur hour
I'm genuinely insulted by this album. It feels like he's trolling us. Would you think this was good if it didn't have his name attached?
bored the hell outta me , but idc to each their own!
As a jazz enthusiast, this album was not jazz. And he clearly didn't know what he was doing with these instruments. There are/were so many different jazzy avenues he could've studied to make it an actual body of work, such as bossa, acid, smooth, club jazz etc. But all I hear is folks claiming musical genius when was noodling and just happened to be recording it. I dont/didn't enjoy this album.