Various Artists: Impulsive! Revolutionary Jazz Reworked

The problem with remixes—and electronic music in general—is repetition. More often than not, a particular song may have so much going on, especially if it's jazz, that artists who attempt remixes stick with a minimalist approach that ends up rehashing the same beats, the same phrases, and the same samples to the end.

Impulsive!, for the most part, is no exception. Despite its all-star lineup—on both sides of the board—many of the songs lose their hook halfway through. The worst offender is the Sa-Ra remix of George Russell's "A Helluva Town," which opens the album. While it's not unlistenable, its repetition ultimately works against it. The concept is there, and it's well-done, but after hearing that New York is a helluva town ad nauseum, the concept wears thin.

As expected, however, Prefuse 73's remix of Gabor Szabo's "Mizrab" is exceptional. Scott Herren employs his typical blips and beats and crafts a brilliant recreation of Szabo's guitar-based melodies. Similarly, Kid Koala's remix of Yusef Lateef's "Bamboo Flute Blues" shows the DJ in restraint mode, letting Lateef's song shine through with subtle and minimal manipulation. These tracks, along with Boozoo Bajou's nu-jazz retelling of Pharaoh Sanders' "Astral Traveling" (which pays homage to the original without overdoing it), Telefon Tel-Aviv's dreamy, beautiful remix of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments," and Charles Mingus' "II B.S.," remixed by Wu Tang's Rza, make the album great.

Impulsive! closes with "At Night," a poem written by John Coltrane with music composed by his son, Ravi Coltrane. The track's more traditional jazz leanings—along with an impressive performance by Julie Patton—makes it an anomaly among the more "remixed" and "reworked" classics on the rest of the album, but its mellow bass and subtle groove provide a fitting ending to the compilation's overall variety.