BACARDI B-LIVE

Now that it’s officially summer, it’s time to bring out the ultimate song of the season: “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, obviously. (Check out the video, and don’t miss the amazing cover art - it’s unreal that this song is almost 20 years old!) I remember when this song first came out—um, barely, but I was there for it—and it’s utterly bizarre that his partner The Fresh Prince went on to become, essentially, reigning god of the movie-land box office, while Jazz…did not. Casual fans don’t give the man his due, though: He was fantastic at the Winter Music Conference’s kick-off to BACARDI B-LIVE in March—so much so that there was a bit of a ruckus in my sector of the crowd when his identity was revealed. (Here’s the performance she liked so much: Rock the Kasbah at the BACARDI B-LIVE party.) “That guy was amazing,” said one woman next to me to her party-companion—and she completely lost it when she heard that this now-revered producer and DJ was the same guy who fundamentally transformed her childhood with “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” Twenty-one years after that hit, Jazz deserves his devoted following—I imagine they’ll be coming out to see him at BACARDI B-LIVE dates, including New York (June 17, at M2 Ultra Lounge), New Orleans (July 8, at House of Blues) and Orlando (also at House of Blues, for the big Fourth of July party.) I’ll be listening to what in my opinion is his very best work—not the classic tracks with Will Smith but his 2007 album The Return of the Magnificent. For a peek at the man behind the music, check out this podcast about the making of the album (and don’t miss his masterful handling of Next Episode); for nothing but pure music bliss, here’s his remix of Billie Jean for an Amsterdam show. Nothing but exquisite.