Jazz "cover versions" of modern rock/pop tunes...

[Rooster_Ties]

I'm thinkin' about burning a compilation of jazz covers of modern-rock (or pop) tunes, primarily so my wife can hear jazz versions of tunes she knows and likes (something for the car, for long trips). And I've been wantin' to start a thread like this for some time...

What are some of your favorite jazz "covers" of rock/pop tunes, for tunes written since about 1980 or so???

Here are some from my collection...

• Fiona Apple's tune "On The Bound" was covered by our own Phil Grenadier on "Playful Intentions" (FSNT, 2003)
  

• An entire album of Beck covers by Dr. Lonnie Smith on "Boogaloo to Beck" (Scufflin', 2003)
  

• Bjork's tune "Jöga" was covered by Jason Moran on "Facing Left" (BN, 2000)
  
• Bjork's tune "Venus As A Boy" was covered by Geoff Keezer on "Zero One" (Dreyfus, 2000)
  
• Bjork's tune "All Neon Like" was covered by Greg Osby (with Jason Moran) on "Inner Circle" (BN, 2002)
  
• Bjork's tune "Unison" was covered by Dave Douglas on "The Infinite" (Bluebird, 2002)
  
• Bjork's tune "Unison was also covered by Brett Sroka in a live version available on his web-site (including Jason Moran in the line-up), recorded in 2002.
  

• Blondie's tune "Heart Of Glass" was covered by The Bad Plus on "These Are the Vistas" (Columbia, 2003)
  

• Coldplay's tune "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face was covered by Matt Jorgensen on "Hope" (Origin, 2004)
  

• The Nirvana tune "Come As You Are" was covered by Charlie Hunter on "Bing, Bing, Bing!" (BN, 1995)
  
• The Nirvana tune "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was covered by The Bad Plus on "These Are the Vistas" (Columbia, 2003)
  

• Radiohead's tune "Exit Music (For A Film)" was covered by Brad Mehldau on "Songs - Art of the Trio, Vol. 3" (WB, 1998), and again by Mehldau on "The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4: Back at the Vanguard" (WB, 1999)
  
• Radiohead's tune "Paranoid Android" was covered by Brad Mehldau, first on a live 'promo-only' CD called "Deregulating Jazz" (WB, 2000), and again by Mehldau on "Largo" (WB, 2002), and again by Mehldau on "Live in Tokyo" (Nonesuch, 2004)
  
• Radiohead's tune "Let Down" was covered by Geoff Keezer on "Zero One" (Dreyfus, 2000)
  
• Radiohead's tune "Everything In Its Right Place" was covered by Matt Jorgensen on "Quiet Silence" (Origin, 2002)
  
• Radiohead's tune "Idioteque" was covered by our own Phil Grenadier on "Playful Intentions" (FSNT, 2003)
  
• Radiohead's tune "Everything In Its Right Place" was also covered by Brad Mehldau on "Anything Goes" (WB, 2004)
  
• Plus an entire "solo piano" album of Radiohead covers by classical pianist Christopher O'Riley on "True Love Waits: O'Riley Plays Radiohead" (Sony Classical, 2003)
  

• An entire album of Sting / Police covers by Bob Belden on "Straight To My Heart - The Music Of Sting" (BN, 1991)
  

• Rufus Wainwright's tune "Poses" was covered by Dave Douglas on "The Infinite" (Bluebird, 2002)
  

• Plus Herbie Hancock did an entire album of jazz covers of pop/rock/alternative tunes, "The New Standard" (Verve, 1995). It included tunes by Don Henley, Peter Gabriel, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Prince, and Nirvana. The Nirvana tune he covered was "All Apologies".
  

Obviously I like jazz covers of Björk tunes, and Radiohead tunes.

Are there any other "modern rock" artists that have been covered as frequently by jazz artists, as Björk and/or Radiohead???

Edited March 26, 2005 by Rooster_Ties

[jlhoots]

There's a DIW CD (? in print) by a Dave Douglas Quartet that has several Joni Mitchell songs on it.

[Rooster_Ties]

There's a DIW CD (? in print) by a Dave Douglas Quartet that has several Joni Mitchell songs on it.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about that one (though I don't have any idea if the tunes were originally written before or after 1980).

In any case, this is a spectacular album, in my book: Dave Douglas - "Moving Portrait" (DIW, 1998).

[cannonball-addict]

There's a new trio CD on Summit Records by the Chad Lawson Trio and they do a Sting tune, a Beatles tune, and a grunge classic/radio staple, "Black Hole Sun" by Seattle-based Soundgarden.

Unforeseen

[cannonball-addict]

Rufus Wainwright's tune "Poses" was covered by Dave Douglas on "The Infinite" (Bluebird, 2002)

This is possibly the best/most moving track on that album. That band w/ Chris Potter, Uri Caine, Clarence Penn, and Adam Rogers

is BAD.

Edited November 20, 2004 by cannonball-addict

[Rooster_Ties]

There's a new trio CD on Summit Records by the Chad Lawson Trio and they do a Sting tune, a Beatles tune, and a grunge classic/radio staple, "Black Hole Sun" by Seattle-based Soundgarden.

Unforeseen

My wife used to be (who'm I kidding, she still is!!!) a relatively big Soundgarden fan. So I'll be picking this one up soon, for sure!! (And her favorite jazz-group configuration is a the traditional piano trio -- which is what this is!!)

Thanks a bunch!!!

Can't wait to put this on the stereo when she's around, and not mention anything about it -- and catch the look on her face when she hears the "Black Hole Sun". Not a half-bad tune in my book either.

Edited November 20, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[ghost of miles]

Diana Krall does Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue" on her new record.

[A Lark Ascending]

Rufus Wainwright's tune "Poses" was covered by Dave Douglas on "The Infinite" (Bluebird, 2002)

I've never heard the original (I'm more familiar with Wainwright's parents' music!) but agree that this is a very special track. Love the way the bass clarinet moves along beside the trumpet.

[Д.Д.]

The Thing with Joe McPhee play a version of P.J. Harvey's "To Bring You My Love": http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:ouvyxdkb4olg

[Rooster_Ties]

Thought of another jazz Radiohead cover...

There was a huge number of mp3's on the darkfunk website over a year ago, all from the "ropeadope new music seminar", recorded back in Aug, 2003 (click), and one of the tracks was a B3 + drums version of "Paranoid Android"...

Russo Benevento duo -- Paranoid Android (7:05)

(And I've still got the mp3 on my computer (cuz it isn't available at darkfunk.com anymore), so that's also a good candidate for the compilation I'll be burning.)

Edited November 21, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[.:.impossible]

I've heard that Brad Mehldau Trio does "Bottle Up And Explode" by Elliott Smith (rest in peace).

[ghost of miles]

I've heard that Brad Mehldau Trio does "Bottle Up And Explode" by Elliott Smith (rest in peace).

Duh--how could I have forgotten that one? Thanks for the catch, Impossible!

BTW, rumor is that Christopher O'Riley is working on an entire CD of Elliott tunes.

Edited November 21, 2004 by ghost of miles

[Rooster_Ties]

I've heard that Brad Mehldau Trio does "Bottle Up And Explode" by Elliott Smith (rest in peace).

Duh--how could I have forgotten that one?

Me too.

It's on the same promo ("Deregulating Jazz") as this Radiohead cover, mentioned in the first post up above...

Radiohead's tune "Paranoid Android" was covered by Brad Mehldau, first on a live 'promo-only' CD called "Deregulating Jazz" (WB, 2000)...

Edited November 21, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[mikeweil]

[*]Björk's tune "Venus As A Boy" was covered by Geoff Keezer on "Zero One" (Dreyfus, 2000)

[*]Radiohead's tune "Let Down" was covered by Geoff Keezer on "Zero One" (Dreyfus, 2000)

Keezer's Radiohead cover is even more cool as he combines with some Gamelan-like piano.

He did "Lose my breath" by British pop group "My Bloody Valentine" on his 1996 Columbia CD turn up the quiet - he heard echoes of Ravel's "The Gallows" in it and plays it accordingly - great!

[mikeweil]

Plus Herbie Hancock did an entire album of jazz covers of pop/rock/alternative tunes, "The New Standard" (Verve, 1995).  It included tunes by Don Henley, Peter Gabriel, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Prince, and Nirvana.  The Nirvana tune he covered was "All Apologies".

I found that one disappointing in every respect - and I'm a big fan of Herbie's. Not nearly as convincing as Keezer's versions. I recently borrowed it from a friend to verify my initial judgement, and it still is !

Edited November 21, 2004 by mikeweil

[Rooster_Ties]

Plus Herbie Hancock did an entire album of jazz covers of pop/rock/alternative tunes, "The New Standard" (Verve, 1995).  It included tunes by Don Henley, Peter Gabriel, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Prince, and Nirvana.  The Nirvana tune he covered was "All Apologies".

I found that one disappointing in every respect - and I'm a big fan of Herbie's. Not nearly as convincing as Keezer's versions. I recently borrowed it from a friend to verify my initial judgement, and it still is !

Yeah, I would have to concur. I used to own this, and must have traded it away at one time -- since I don't appear to have it any more.

[cannonball-addict]

Keezer just got signed to MaxJazz. Hopefully that will mean more people find out about him.

[Soul Stream]

Seems like modern jazz artists like covering the same 6 or so people...Bjork, Nirvana, Rufus W, Radiohead, ect...

[Green Dolphin]

Josh Roseman was another to have a go at "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his "Cherry" release of 2001-alongside covers of Don't Be Cruel,The Beatles' If I Fell,Marvin's Just To Keep You Satisfied,Bacharach's Land Of Make Believe and Zeppelin's Kashmir!!!

Seems like he got this lot out of his system as the follow-up album,Treats For The Nightwalker,was virtually all originals

[.:.impossible]

Seems like modern jazz artists like covering the same 6 or so people...Bjork, Nirvana, Rufus W, Radiohead, ect...

Yeah, I got into a discussion about this recently. People talking about rock tunes being the "new standard." My stance was that it is sort of novel, and in the end felt ironic, listening to jazz musicians taking on rock tunes. I am much less interested in the improvisational possibilities of a five piece doing Radiohead, or what have you. The arguement was that showtunes were at one time the popular music, that bebop musicians were taking familiar material and turning it out, and that that is exactly what is going on today. I disagree.

If you ask me, the "new standard" is new composition.

Edited December 19, 2004 by .:.impossible

[A Lark Ascending]

In 1955 everyone could whistle 'Surrey with the Fringe on Top' and lots of other show tunes. They was popular music in the true sense, heard across the age and class range. Maybe that gave listeners something to latch onto.

Can the same be said of Radiohead or Bjork? I'd say their reach is much narrower (a comment on the splintered nature of broadcasting today rather than the relative quality or attractiveness of the music).

Perhaps our Douglas', Bad Plus' and Mehldau's need to be recording Kylie, Brittany to have a similar effect, rather than the hipper rock acts? Or maybe the latest West End/Broadway musicals?

Isn't the Phantom of the Opera about to become a box office breaking film? Brad plays Lloyd-Webber! Dave plays Moulin Rouge! Bad Plus play Chicago!

I can hardly wait.

Edited December 19, 2004 by Bev Stapleton

[couw]

"A Jazzy After Ski," now THAT would be da shit. DJ Ötzi is already excited about the royalties this will generate.

[gdogus]

Joshua Redman covered a number of "pop" songs on Timeless Tales (for Changing Times) (Warner Bros., 1998), including tunes by Stevie Wonder, Dylan, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, as well as standards coposers like Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and the Gershwins. I think the only post-1980 tune he covered was Prince's "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"

Edited December 19, 2004 by gdogus

[CJ Shearn]

Jeff "Tain" Watts latest "Detained at the Blue Note" has a Bjork tune "107 Steps" as the album opener.

[Rooster_Ties]

This was posted in another Bjork thread, and I thought I'd also post it here too...

SOURCE

Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra

By Christopher Muther, Globe staff  |  March 24, 2005

What is the reason why I chose Björk?" Travis Sullivan ponders. ''Maybe her music chose me."

It's easy to see how such a thing could happen, given that Björk's music drowsily extends its exquisite and ornate tentacles, unfolding layer after layer, until it grabs hold of listeners with a banshee-like urgency. For New York-based Sullivan, the idea of turning Björk's art pop into avant-garde jazz for an 18-piece band -- brilliantly dubbed the ''Björkestra" -- manifested itself seven years ago when he began reinterpreting the Icelandic songstress's tune ''Hyper-ballad."

''I started listening to her music around the time that I was first getting into arranging for big bands," Sullivan says. ''And Björk's music is really the perfect vehicle for that because it's in the cracks between a lot of different genres. It's melodic and rich and deals with a lot of modality."

Sullivan reworks Björk's music through an ensemble that primarily consists of brass and woodwind instruments but also includes piano and electronic percussion. He refers to his arrangements as ''big band," but it's not the kind of big band music that Glenn Miller played for the USO. This is the hippest of New York's downtown jazz scene, spun into a context that can be easily digested by younger fans with an appetite for pop music.

Sullivan uses Björk's ideas and melodies as a springboard to launch into his own visions of the music. The songs are deconstructed and then reconstructed and given over to much improvisation.

''The other night, someone in the group said, 'This isn't like a big band, it's just a large group of guys who get together and plays music,"' Sullivan says. ''But what I've been discovering lately is that the sound of that is beautiful in itself."

Björk's fans have reacted positively to the revised interpretations, an enthusiasm Sullivan attributes to his ability to maintain the original tone and sensation of the songs.

''There's a density to Björk's music, but there's also an openness to it," he says. ''There's that open Icelandic vibe you get with her music. I wanted to see how I could write that into my arrangements using musical colors that are much more opaque. I was thinking about it in terms of painting with layers as I was trying to make these very long brush stokes with the music. "