Amerigo Gazaway is well-known and admired for his conceptual collaboration albums, mixing the sounds from differing musical traditions. Seeing as hip-hop was built on the act of mixing sounds, it is only appropriate that we take the time to discuss the work that Amerigo has given us this time. This new cut is a musical journey into the sounds of the late blues legend, BB King, and hip-hop duo UGK.

On “Make Love To My Car,” Amerigo brings King’s cover of “I Just Wanna Make Love to You” together with some of UGK’s tight rhymes. While I know that I’m cheating a bit by including this song in the Jazz Vibes column since there aren’t any formal jazz elements found in the song, I still want to show off the musical connections that are going on here. Blues music is one of the oldest and most influential genres in the United States. It’s been around for well over 100 years and has directly influenced various other genres, from jazz to rock n’ roll. Because of blues music’s heavy influence on jazz music, I find it important to take a moment to highlight this song.

In addition to the obvious blues element (we are hearing sounds from arguably the greatest blues guitarist of all time), we encounter a myriad of DJ techniques, such as record scratching and the inclusion of samples of various sounds, like car sounds and a concert announcer. And let’s not forget UGK’s swagger-filled bars. What is most impressive about this selection is the way in which Amerigo is able to bring these two very distinct musical styles together in a coherent way. It is always amazing to see how different musics can come together and create something completely new and fresh.

To learn more about Amerigo, visit his website. Download the track on Bandcamp. To read more from me, visit my site, AreYouhipToThis.com.

Much Love.