Amazing! Just Goddam Amazing!! (Rating: 10 out of 10- -5.0 stars)
Excuse my language in my title, but this album has have to been the best I've heard in a very long time. I've always had an ear for jazz music with a fusion of hip hop, but I've never heard it been done as correctly as this here.

Now, I've also never heard of the Jazz Liberators, possibly because they receive zero exposure here in the U.S., but that might change after this album. They enlist some of the finest emcees, new and old to rhyme over their slick jazz production. And each guest brings their A game as well. When I heard Asheru on "I Am Hip Hop", I already have set the point where this is going to be a classic. Then further down came Sadat X on "Return Of The Wild Cowboy" another classic track. Buckshot impresses on "Take A Time", but the best track would have to be J-Live's "Vacation". That song is just amazing (you have to hear it). Every other track that I didn't name is great too, but those were the ones that fully stood out to me. There is also an intro to every song where the guests speak on how jazz music has influenced them in the world of hip hop.

Bottom line, this CD is amazing. Only a few other albums I've heard such as Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, and Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 have came close to this here. If you can, grab this album whenever you see it, especially if you're a fan of hip hop. This here will allow you to appreciate other genres of music that came before that. This album has a very live sound where you can just sit back and relax, and let the music play through. Great for playing at night as well. Peace & Much Love.

Lyrics: N/A
Production: A+
Guest Appearances: A+
Musical Vibes: A+

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Vacation (featuring J-Live)
2. The Return (featuring Sadat X)
3. Take A Time (featuring Buckshot)
4. I Am Hip Hop (featuring Asheru)
5. When The Clock Ticks (featuring J. Sands)

Music you listen to in the dark!!!
After seeing this album under a best album of the year list somewhere here on amazon, I figured I'd check it out to see what all the buzz was about. For some reason I couldn't check it out on Amazon, so I googled it and found 1 minute samples of every track and it was all she wrote at that point. EVERY SINGLE TRACK is a good listen, though I do find myself skipping the first at times due to the first track having a slow jazzy mood in the beginning with no lyrics (i actually like the last half of the track more).
And as far as the sound being too consistent and classroom like, I couldn't disagree more. True, it has a mellow groove to it and artists that compliment that groove to perfection, but it doesn't get redundant due to the track layouts. They also switch the beat towards the end of dang near every track, while the artist tells how they were influenced by the fusion of jazz and hip hop, which only adds to the value. Sort of like the beginning in the movie Brown Sugar, but with jazz instead of hip hop.
Without a doubt one of the best CDs I have.

My favorites:

Vacation
Easy My Mind
Cool Down
Speak the Language
The Process

Jazz Liberators "Clin d'Oeil"- 5 Stars
What more can I say about Jazz Liberators "Clin d'Oeil" that hasn't already been said? It took me a while to first hear this, and when I did, I was blown away. The sound from the production is heavenly, and the lyrics from the guests blend perfectly with it. The instruments and instrumentals sound perfect, with every note and beat being flawless. Normally I get technical about every aspect of an album, but I don't think that is necessary here. Basically, this is better than just about every other release this year so far. The only album I can compare with this one is EMC "The Show". If you are a fan of hip hop, jazz, both, or just music in general, listen to this album. If you don't feel like spending 50+ dollars for it, download it off of iTunes.

Lyrics- N/A
Production- 10/10
Guest Appearances- 9.5/10
Overall Sound- 10/10

4.92

-Shaun B.

Good Listen, But...
All The Mc's are able yes, but these style's are monotonous, unchanging for the most part, like most jazz music, consistent and on point...almost too much so. The beats are well produced but DJ Damage, Dusty and Madhi have their "sound" in each of these tracks and it's too consistent - the hooks and sampled melodies on top of similar basslines isn't very stimulating. Basically, it's a good effort and it's good music, but midway through your mind is numb to the sound, feeling like you just sat through a jazz class talking about mundane liberation.

The Crossing Paths of Jazz & Hip-Hop Never Sounded So Pure (5 Stars)
Until recently, I had never heard of this collective of French producers know as the Jazz Liberatorz. From what I gather from their Myspace page, the Jazz Liberatorz consist of three producers - DJ Damage, Dusty, & Madhi, and they've been around since 1999. "Clin D'Oeil" is their long-awaited first full-length release after a slew of 12" releases. As a lover of jazz, I was immediately intrigued by the entire concept of this record. In fact, this record is more heavily influenced by jazz than hip-hop. The record is a tribute to the golden age of hip-hop, as well as post-bop and 70s jazz & soul. The lineup of rappers that contribute to the project is simply mind-blowing - Fat Lip & Tre Hardson (of The Pharcyde), Omni, Asheru (of The Unspoken Heard), J. Sands (of The Lone Catalysts), T Love, Tableek, Apani B. Fly, Sadat X (of Brand Nubian), Stacy Epps, Raashan Ahmad (of Crown City Rockers), Buckshot (of Black Moon), J-Live, Lizz Fields, & newcomer Soul Clan. Just looking at that list, it's hard to imagine they could have picked a better set of jazz influenced rappers and vocalists.

01. Clin D'Oeil - The mix starts off with a downtempo, laid back instrumental jam with some spoken word effects and some sampling of C.L. Smooth and live instrumentation of classic hip-hop samples. At the 4-minute mark, Tre Hardson (formerly of The Pharcyde) sums up the vibe of the album with his take on the current state hip-hop and the influence jazz has brought to it, while boasting shout-outs of some of the most important jazz pioneers in history.

02. Ease My Mind - This feels like an old-school Pharcyde collaboration featuring Tre Hardson & Fat Lip. Omni is also featured here, who I've been a fan of since I've heard him on DJ Quietstorm's "Soramiro" (2004). The hook is flavored heavily with lush female vocals. A stellar standout.

03. I'm Hip Hop - This one features Asheru (of The Unspoken Heard). A very soothing joint which matches Asheru's rapping beautifully as he expresses his love for jazz and his distaste for modern hip-hop through his verses. The chorus is excellent and very memorable. Another excellent standout.

04. When The Clock Tics - This one features J. Sands from one of my favorite collectives in the game today - The Lone Catalysts. J. Sands flow is simply made for jazz. The production features some very addictive keys. This collaboration is on-point with the best of J. Rawl's production.

05. Genius At Work - Fat Lip shines nicely here, but it's T Love that I find most intriguing. The chorus (by Fat Lip) is somewhat unspectacular, and kind of has me wishing they would have let T Love take care of that portion of the song. Still very nice though.

06. Indonesia - Tableek gets a nice spot here. He's part of the collective known as Maspyke, which was formed around 2000. His flow meshes well with the soothing atmospheric production and unorthodox female vocals on the hook. The chemistry is excellent here, and has me aching to check out some of his work with Maspyke.

07. The Process - Apani B. Fly is one of today's top female spitters. She talks about her favorite influences in music (mostly hip-hop) before the track kicks off. Once again, the production matches her flow in a unique fashion. The strings on this track are beyond soothing. And excellent match up.

08. The Return - Sadat X (of Brand Nubian) turns in an excellent performance here. Unlike some of the other production, this one is a bit more horn-heavy and features some nice scratching. Excellent vibes throughout.

09. U Do - Stacy Epps, who I remember turning in a nice performance on Madlib & MF Doom's "Madvillainy" record, changes up the formula a bit with more of a soul vibe. Her voice is simply exquisite.

10. Cool Down - This cut features Raashan Ahmad of the up and coming Crown City Rockers. Before the track kicks off, he gives props to one of my all-time favorite jazz rap artists - Digable Planets. This is a favorite of mine for sure. The subtle guitar and bass lines builds a beautiful rhythm. Some nice cut-up vocals provide a nice hook. Raashan Ahmad is on-point!

11. Take A Time - I haven't checked out much from Buckshot since his days with Black Moon. But this track is on it's way to change that. As usual, the Jazz Liberatorz production exemplifies his talent to it's fullest.

12. Vacation - This track just may be my favorite on the disc. J-Live works wonders with the smoothing and sultry production. The chemistry is boiling here. The subtle guitar line and tranquilizing strings is pure ear candy.

13. Speak The Language - Lizz Fields is the star on this track. She brings a nice funk/soul vibe to the mix. And like "U Do" it brings a nice change in formula. Her singing is highly alluring.

14. Qidar - Soul Clan makes an appearance here...a relatively new talent (as far as I know). He performs nicely here, and with the inclusion on soothing female vocals on the hook, it makes out for another worthwhile gem.

15. Outro - A beautiful instrumental. Excellent saxophone playing makes it standout. Pretty much the perfect way to close out a flawless album.

Overall, you'd be hard pressed to find a better mash-up of hip-hop & jazz. Although this CD digs much deeper into pure jazz than anything from the likes of A Tribe Called Quest or even Digable Planets. I really don't think the Jazz Liberatorz could have found a better set of rappers to work with. It really seems as if all the rappers have been inspired by the project in general, and therefore, some sound better than they have in years. If pure jazz isn't in any way your thing, some of the material may scare you off. For someone like myself, a mix this solid is simply a dream come true.