Doc Jones presents PHX UNWRAPPED, when Jazz meets Freedom! Each week will include live music along with offerings of live art, performance, films and more. You will be surprised as we unwrap the beauty and talent of our "hidden desert."

The soft opening is a tribute to Jazzmatazz, a series of Hip Hop and Jazz recordings from American musical artist and producer Guru. The Source magazine ranked him #30 on its list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, saying "Guru dropped some of the most thoughtful rhymes on wax". Born is Roxbury, NY, Guru was a member of the Hip Hop duo Gang Starr along with DJ Premier. On Feb. 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma He died two months later.

Guru stated: "Back around '93 – when I first came up with the Jazzmatazz concept – I was noticing how a lot of cats were digging in the crates and sampling jazz breaks to make hip hop records. But while I thought that was cool, I wanted to take it to the next level and actually create a new genre by getting the actual dudes we were sampling into the studio to jam over hip hop beats with some of the top vocalists of the time. You know, the whole thing was experimental, but I knew it was an idea that would spawn some historic music."

Join Doc to experience JAZZ on the Row at PAZ – a free jazz series in Roosevelt Row every Wednesday! Plus a special announcement will be made!

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