Years ago I stumbled upon a (now defunct) music blog with some unusual posts.
One was about an album by Doc Severinsen and the Now Generation Brass, featuring a jazz cover of The Court Of The Crimson King!
This set me off on a search for similar jazzy covers of prog/rock/pop/country ‘classics’ and over time I found quite a few.
Often financial reasons were probably the main motivation as clearly expressed by Gerry Mulligan; If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em!
But covering mainstream songs was not unusual at all and the results at times artistically worthwhile.
Not surprisingly a lot were jazzed up Beatles (hardly any Rolling Stones!) songs, but there were quite a few of more unpredictable choices such as Steely Dan’s Aja, Roger Miller’s King Of The Road, and Chuck Berry’s No Particular Place To Go!
A new banner and the link: https://mega.nz/file/TYNWQJwC#qEAVpaxdT6sJBZjrkalzW7i7Ns3pDQ8S6Bxkw13AdX4
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What's your favourite jazz cover song?
My Favourite Things? well John Coltrane, or Miles's Someday my Prince will come, Gil Evans plays the music of Jimi Hendrix
ReplyDeleteAnd here is another story. Before John Zorn went Hard-Punk with Naked City, Hans Dulfer did gigs with Pandemonium, hard-core punk from Limbabwe.
Would have to be 'My Favorite Things" by John Coltrane taking me back to when I first heard such a thing as jazz cover song. WoW didn't know about Doc cover but it gots me psyched and I still have at least two more vinyl albums to rip and add to my previous Doc and Johnny show stuff. Great idea as I am a goofy sort of guy who likes when people work within a cover song frame to excess (the more goofy the better) and have tried to collect all "Light My Fire" songs I come acrosst. You guys and your banners are killin' me HA HA!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou've got your work cut out for you! SecondHandSongs lists over 300 versions of "Light My FIre" -- many of them instrumentals.
Deletehttps://secondhandsongs.com/work/22/versions
"My Favorite Things" by John Coltrane is an excellent example of an amazing interpretation.
DeleteDon Ellis - Hey Jude. Especially the Fillmore version. I have several live recordings of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I will check that one out!
DeleteThat's not for the faint of heart or Beatles fans. 😁
DeleteI will most definitely check that out. Odd Beatles versions, Great beatles variations, or Alvin Lucier fascinate me as a lifelong lover of The Beatles.
DeleteJust had this for breakfast, and it is a great version. Thank you for sharing
Great banner, Koen! Makes me think of mclusky's song "To Hell With Good Intentions".
ReplyDelete"My dad is bigger than your dad, he's got eight cars and a house in Ireland (sing it!)"
Honestly, one of my favorite jazz covers is the Charlie Hunter Quartet's swinging version of "Lively Up Yourself" -- which Koen shared here last summer:
https://jonderblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-blue-note-cover-album-series-by.html
Changes every day. Today it is Django Bates's version of "New York, New York".
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteKoen, it all depends how you, and yes it is your post, you see jazz. I recall a quote from Duke Ellington. He was given a question about some of his music not being strictly jazz? And he said something along the lines , that it depends on how someone interprets jazz. Further, there is music and you call some of it jazz. In The Netherlands one of the Huge Big Baboons of jazz is Hans Dulfer. On Perikles (I didn't know album) he covers Soul Makossa and Miss You. And there was that question again. Is it jazz, can we call it jazz. Mustn't we call it jazz-funk, or funk-jazz, or is it bad music because I cannot put it on a shelf with other (real) jazz.
ReplyDeleteJazz is a scaringly wide genre.From the smooth goo of Chet Baker to the harshness of The Woe by Steve Lacy. From the lazy millionaires to the hardworking innovators.
Is a big band like James Last Jazz? and why not? Burt Kaempfert, Fausto Papetti... the big band crossover from Mantovani light entertainment to The Court of the Crimson King. Where did it become jazz?
Good points Richard! My view on whatever Jazz might be is pretty wide... But Hans Dulfer covering Soul Makossa?? Where & when?! Manu Dibango's Soul Makossa is one of my all-time favorites!
ReplyDeleteHans Dulfer & Perikels - I didn't ask
ReplyDeletehttps://www.discogs.com/master/1956073-Dulfer-Perikels-I-Didnt-Ask
Thanks Richard, I found it!
Delete