Verve Remixed, Vol. 4 (CD - 2008)

Since 2002 Verve Records have opened select cuts from their highly esteemed catalog to cutting-edge DJ and producers for remixing; a lively dialogue between old and new that is documented on their VERVE REMIXED series. Volume 4 continues to deliver inventive revisions of some of the classic jazz and blues vocal tunes of the `50s and `60s, and adds shades of `70s funk and Latin-jazz. The remixes are as diverse as the label's far-reaching catalog, taking in approaches as varied as modernized Afrobeat, Neo-Northern Soul stomp, and orchestral electronica. Some of the pairings alone are worthy of the price of admission; Kenny Dope taking on the funk Godfather James Brown's "There Was A Time", and hip-hop wunderkind 9th Wonder's clipped, beat-heavy reconfiguration of Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" are among some memorable stand-outs. minimize