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Cannery Ballroom: DJ Jazzy Jeff ECLIPSE presented by Lovenoise & 92Q

Presented by The Mercy Lounge and Cannery Ballroom at Mercy Lounge

November 11, 2011

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"Jazzy Jeff" Townes was born in West Philadelphia in a very musical household and developed a love of music at an early age. Jeff was just 10 years old when he started spinning records at parties using his family's basement as a training ground for his expert mixing. By the time Jeff had made it to John Bartram High his skills as a DJ had progressed to a level that had him doing shows on the block party/ballroom circuit in West Philadelphia. It was through these shows that he quickly built a reputation, which had him spinning all over his hometown. It was not just Jeff's ear for good music that had the party moving but his mastery of scratching techniques. Never a showman, Jeff let his hands do the talking. Jazzy Jeff was technically very sound and rarely made a mistake. The precise percussive elements that Jeff brought to scratching quickly gained him a following. Jeff rolled with many crews and emcees around Philly but it was 1985 when he met Will Smith on the house party circuit. Jeff's regular MC was away so Will stepped on the mic and the chemistry was instant. They shared the same kind of humor and hit it off straight away. By the summer of 1986 Will and Jeff had teamed up to released their first single, "Girl's Ain't Nothin But Trouble" as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" was the first hip-hop song to sample a TV show theme, "I Dream of Jeannie" and it soon began to chart. During this time, Jazzy Jeff entered in the 1986 DMC New Music Seminar. The Philly DJ wasn't known as a battle DJ but his routines were so impressive he walked away with the Championship.