Jazz: Ode to the Cover

[noddin0ff]

I had this comp in my mind for a while. Jazz ‘standards’ used to use the pop songs of my parents youth for material. Now they’re starting to use the material of my youth. I find that interesting. I’ve found a few jazz covers of rock songs in my collection. I’m not sure I’ve completely risen to the challenge. I think the tracks work for a pleasant listen. Some add something to the original, some don’t. Interesting that these are either female vocalist or just instrumental.

01 Miss You (The Rolling Stones)- Jacqui Naylor: Shelter
02 Ode To Billie Joe (Bobby Gentry)- Carla Cook: Dem Bones
03 Legalize It (Peter Tosh) - Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood: Out Louder
04 The Crunge (Led Zeppelin) - Joshua Redman Elastic Band: Momentum
05 Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) - Cassandra Wilson: Traveling Miles
06 Hey Jude (The Beatles) - The Overton Berry Trio: Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest In Funk and Soul, 1965-75
07 Blackbird (The Beatles) - René Marie: Vertigo
08 Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers) - Jacqui Naylor: Live At The Plush Room
09 Once In A Lifetime (Talking Heads) - Jacqui Naylor: Live East/West
10 For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield) - Jacqui Naylor: Live East/West
11 I Heard It Through the Grapevine (various) - Bill Frisell: East/West
12 Everyday People (Sly & the Family Stone) - Medeski, Martin & Wood: Combustication

All tracks are lossless. They are in Apple’s lossless. You can use iTunes to convert to WAV if you feel the need to turn them into something else.

I zipped them into 4 files, each under 100MB. Each segment is numbered, 01-04. Total size is ~310MB. You will need ALL SEGMENTS in order to extract.

Total time is 58min. I decided to use mediafire again.

Covers01.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/?4bmzmte3xb4
Covers02.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/?dhyldgwomlw
Covers03.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/?2dxqydhjp5g
Covers04.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/?dvlntwqocwh

Some comments…
The list has a lot of Jacqui Naylor. Jacqui grows on you, I didn't find her immediately likeable, depends on the song; I do like the Pianist/Composer/Arranger Art Khu who I know. They do a lot of covers, I have a lot of ‘em. Ergo, I have several on this list.
Miss You - has some of the smolder that Mick coulda used if he was a she.
Ode to Billie Joe – I always liked this song and like it in this cover
Legalize it – not a reggae fan, but a pleasant sound.
The Crunge – I can’t not include a Led Zep cover if I have one.
Time after Time – Lot’s of covers of this classic. I like Miles’ and I like this one
Hey Jude – Not really jazz. I don't know where the line is between funk/soul and jazz , frankly, but I dig this cover more than the original
Blackbird – This takes a familiar tune and takes it elsewhere. With some drumming and some sparseness it makes a haunting commentary on freedom- and the longing to be free. It’s hard not to hear the legacy of slavery here.
Ain’t no sunshine – Like Ode to Billie Joe, I like the original
Once in a Lifetime – different, I like Art Khu on piano.
For what’s it’s worth – did you think you’d ever hear a cover of this…in jazz?
I Heard it Through & Everyday – so slow you almost don’t follow the melody…