RONNIE FOSTER'S "MYSTIC BREW"

August 14, 2018 | by Rusty Aceves

Ronnie Foster's Two-Headed Freap

Ronnie Foster and Reuben Wilson, the two greatest organists of the soul jazz movement of the 60s and 70s, share a double bill to close our B3 Organ Festival on 9/23, ending the first month of our upcoming 2018-2019 Season. Foster is best known for his funk-laced 70s Blue Note sides that have earned a cult-like devotion since being rediscovered by crate diggers and hip-hop artists. The laid-back tune “Mystic Brew” from Foster’s landmark 1972 Blue Note debut Two-Headed Freap has been sampled by a number of artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Childish Gambino, J. Cole, Logic, DJ Cam, and Madlib, and was covered by the trio of former SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Vijay Iyer and Canadian trio BadBadNotGood. Here’s a look at just a few of the multiple lives this jazz-funk gem has lived since Foster laid it down over four decades ago.

"Mystic Brew" by Ronnie Foster, from Two-Headed Freap (1972)

Let’s start with the source. The tune starts with now-legendary bassline played in tandem by upright bassist George Duvivier and electric bassist Gordon Edwards, with Gene Bertoncini’s guitar chords outlining the progression backed by the cross-stick drumming of Jimmy Johnson. Foster’s organ brings in the melody, doubled and countered by vibraphonist George Devens. Most samples of the track concentrate on the bassline, guitar, and vibraphone, leaving out most of the melodic material.

"Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest, from Midnight Marauders (1993)

Without question, the most famous co-opting of “Mystic Brew” is this hip-hop classic from A Tribe Called Quest, in which group member Ali Shaheed Muhammad combined Foster’s original with samples from pianist Ramsey Lewis’ 1975 free jazz cut “Dreams” and a drum track lifted from early 70s New York rock band Brethren, creating a now-legendary groove that provided an intoxicatingly mellow, yet insistent, backing for Q-Tip and the late Phife Dawg’s rhymes. This track provided a blueprint for legions of hop-hop beatmakers to follow.

"Mystic Brew" by Vijay Iyer Trio, from Historicity (2009)

One of the most accomplished and celebrated musicians in modern jazz, pianist Vijay Iyer has always been inspired by hip-hop and electronic dance music, working with Mike Ladd and Das Racist and recording a masterful acoustic version of M.I.A.’s club hit “Galang” for his 2009 breakout trio album Historicity. Iyer’s take on “Mystic Brew” from Historicity takes inspiration from both the original and Tribe’s “Electric Relaxation,” with drummer Marcus Gilmore providing a sharp backbeat and shifting rhythmic displacement against the leader’s cascading fusillades.

"Girls Look Better" by Bambino X (Childish Gambino), from Love Letter in an Unbreakable Bottle (2016, track recorded 2007)

Found on a mixtape of his early work, this 2007 track was recorded when Donald Glover was working under the name Bambino X, combining the now-legendary bass line and vibraphone samples with a sprightly breakbeat. A noticeable bump in tempo sets this track apart from Tribe’s laid back approach, over which the clearly youthful Glover raps in between retro-sounding repeated vocal stabs and samples of Bootsy Collins.

"Mystic Bounce" by Madlib, from Shades of Blue (2003)

In 2003, Blue Note Records gave DJ, MC and producer Madlib access to the label’s rich archive of music, and released the resulting project as the remix album Shades of Blue. His take on the Foster classic, re-titled “Mystic Bounce,” boils down the essence of the song to its compound bassline and George Devens’ original vibraphone, with a driving beat and atmospheric voice samples that make the track sound like it was recorded in a raucous nightclub or house party, bookended by shout-outs to Madlib by veteran guitarist Melvin Sparks and organist Reuben Wilson (with whom Foster shares the bill on 9/23).

"Forbidden Fruit" by J. Cole (featuring Kendrick Lamar), from Born Sinner (2013) - EXPLICIT LYRICS

Channeling the vibe of Tribe Called Quest’s “Electric Relaxation,” rapper J. Cole’s 2013 track “Forbidden Fruit” puts the Foster bassline in a harder-edged context blended with a slinky half-time beat that backs Cole’s decidedly adult-themed lyrics, with guest vocals by rap great Kendrick Lamar. The track was one of four singles from Cole’s second album, peaking at #46 on the Billboard US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

"Mystic Relaxation" by BadBadNotGood, from BBNGLIVE 1 (2011)

In a particularly meta turn for this tune, the Canadian trio’s take on Foster’s original is more accurately a live instrumental version of A Tribe Called Quest’s “Mystic Relaxation” opened up for improvisation. Bassist Chester Hansen retains the signature George Duvivier bassline while keyboardist Matt Tavares comps the original chord progression, and drummer Alex Sowinski recreates Tribe’s sampled Brethren beat with the irreverent addition of a “cowbell” counter rhythm played on a half-full 40oz malt liquor bottle.