Hand On the Torch explained

Hand on the Torch
Type:	Album
Artist:	Us3
Cover:	Hand_On_The_Torch.jpg
Released:	16 November 1993
Genre:	Jazz rap
Length:	54:49
Label:	Blue Note
Producer:	Mel Simpson, Geoff Wilkinson
Next Title:	Broadway & 52nd
Next Year:	1997

Hand on the Torch is the debut studio album by British jazz rap group Us3. It received widespread attention due to its mixture of jazz with hip-hop music, with material from popular jazz musicians of the 20th century being reimagined. The samples used on the album are from old Blue Note Records classics: the most famous was Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", which Us3 used on the track "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)". It came out as a single having two different music videos.

In 2003, The Ultimate Hand on the Torch was released, including many of the songs used as sampling material on Hand on the Torch.

The album was a critical success and reached a widespread audience, with the work being nominated for a Grammy Award. It also was the first platinum-certified album put out by Blue Note Records.

Critical reception

The Boston Globe listed Hand on the Torch among the best albums of 1993, writing: "Of all the CDs exploring the hybrid of rap, hip-hop and jazz, none hit the target the way this one did."^[1]

In 2016, the musical publication MusicRadar labeled the release a "hip-hop tour de force".^[2]

Track listing

1. "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" (Kelly, Simpson, Wilkinson, Herbie Hancock) - 4:39
2. "I Got It Goin' On" (Powell, Kelly, Simpson, Wilkinson, Reuben Wilson) - 5:18
3. "Different Rhythms Different People" (Simpson, Wilkinson) - 1:16
4. "It's Like That" (Powell, Simpson, Wilkinson, Parker, Sonny Rollins) - 3:41
5. "Just Another Brother" (Powell, Simpson, Wilkinson, Freddie Hubbard) - 3:42
6. "Cruisin'" (Kelly, Simpson, Wilkinson) - 3:30
7. "I Go to Work" (Powell, Simpson, Wilkinson, Thelonious Monk) - 4:06
8. "Tukka Yoot's Riddim" (Taylor, Simpson, Wilkinson, Don Covay, Steve Cropper) - 5:41
9. "Knowledge of Self" (Kelly, Simpson, Wilkinson) - 4:18
10. "Lazy Day" (Powell, Simpson, Wilkinson, Joe Sample) - 4:40
11. "Eleven Long Years" (Taylor, Simpson, Wilkinson, Horace Silver, Hancock) - 3:47
12. "Make Tracks" (Powell, Simpson, Wilkinson, Silver, Duke Pearson) - 4:45
13. "The Darkside" (Kelly, Simpson, Wilkinson, Larry Mizell) - 5:19

Sampling

• "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" features samples from "Cantaloupe Island" as performed by Herbie Hancock, and the introduction by Pee Wee Marquette from "A Night in Birdland, Vol. 1" by Art Blakey Quintet.
• "I Got It Goin' On" features a sample from "Ronnie's Bonnie" as performed by Reuben Wilson.
• "Different Rhythms Different People" features vocal samples from "Art Blakey's Comment On Ritual" and "At The Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2" by The Jazz Messengers.
• "It's Like That" features samples from "Alfie's Theme" as performed by Big John Patton and "Cool Blues" as performed by Lou Donaldson.
• "Just Another Brother" features samples from "Crisis" as performed by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
• "I Go To Work" features samples from "Straight No Chaser" as performed by Thelonious Monk.
• "Tukka Yoot's Riddim" features samples from "Sookie Sookie" as performed by Grant Green.
• "Lazy Day" features a sample from "Goin' Down South" as performed by Bobby Hutcherson.
• "Eleven Long Years" features samples from "Song For My Father" as performed by Horace Silver and "Blind Man, Blind Man" as performed by Herbie Hancock.
• "Make Tracks" features samples from "Filthy McNasty" as performed by Horace Silver and "Jeannine" as performed by Donald Byrd.
• "The Darkside" features a sample from "Steppin' Into Tomorrow" as performed by Donald Byrd.

Personnel

• Rap – Rahsaan Kelly and Kobie Powell (guest Tukka Yoot on Tukka Yoot's Riddim and Eleven Long Years)
• Trumpet – Gerard Presencer
• Trombone – Dennis Rollins
• Tenor Sax – Mike Smith
• Soprano and Tenor Sax – Ed Jones
• Guitar – Tony Remy
• Piano – Matt Cooper

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1993–1994)! scope="col"

Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[3]	51
US Billboard 200^[4]	31
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[5]	21

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)! scope="col"

Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[6]	61

Notes and References

1. News: Saunders . Michael . The Year's Top Ten Recordings . The Boston Globe . Dec 16, 1993 . Calendar . 21.
2. News: Classic album: Geoff Wilkinson on Us3's Hand On The Torch. December 30, 2022. August 1, 2016. MusicRadar.
3. 290.
4. US3, TLP. Billboard. 2 February 2021. subscription.
5. US3, BLP. Billboard. 2 February 2021. subscription.
6. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994. Billboard. 2 February 2021.