Favorite Jazz Covers of Modern Pop Songs

Anybody else feel the need to hear your favorite songs in a fresh format?

Help me w a playlist of Jazz covers of pop songs... say, 1960 and later

Would like to avoid the “songbook” classic covers and we’ve all heard The Beatles ad nauseam, but if it’s a goowon... lets hear it.

I’ll start:

Matt Flinner Quartet- “Walking on The Moon” by The Police

Kind of like Bill Frizzell meets Bela Fleck. Engaging interplay between electric guitar, bass and mandolin, not to mention a very cool song to start out with.

 

George Benson's CTI run from the early 70's includes covers of White Rabbit and California Dreaming. But it's so long since I've listened to them, I can't remember if I like them or not!

 

From the 70s. Not a "songbook" classic as you say, but a classic song in my book: Too High

Stevie Wonder

 

And the jazz version

Joe Farrel



Dammmm, just found out that I can play both clips at the same time. I'm trying to sync them... Double funk yeah.

 

Another recent thread has Vince Guaraldi covering Beatles tunes.

 

How about Patricia Barber covering the Doors 'Light my Fire'?

 

Miles Davis covering 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper

 

Jack DeJohnette, "Time After Time"
Lester Bowie, "The Great Pretender" and "I Only Have Eyes for You"
Rufus Harley, "Eight Miles High" (on bagpipes no less!)

 

Herbie Hancock’s cover of Nirvanas All Apologies

 

It might be a bit of a stretch calling aphex twin pop, but here is the bad plus doing his track flim.

 

Fay Victor - covered Ray Davies / Kinks - Lazy Old Sun (pretty faithful to the original) and also does a version of The Doors People Are Strange. The studio version is pretty nice but live she and her group tend to stretch out People Are Strange. She's a true original and a true jazz singer.

 

Deodato did a nice revision of the Dan's "Do It Again" that today may sound a bit too movie-soundtrack-y, for its' badasstic, action-film-slick, CTI-ishness. But I've loved it since 1975, and everybody I play it for just digs the vibe.

 

I just realized I should have said 1960's and later... not earlier.

It looks like you all figured that out.

 

1957 OK?
Dave Brubeck Quartet - When You Wish Upon a Star

 

Great thread idea!

A recent John Scofield album called Country For Old Men is highly recommended by me. (It's all country though).

Joshua Breakstone's Walk Don't Run album should be up your alley.

 

herbie hancock, peter gabriel's mercy street.

 

Nice ones gang, thanks... keep em comin.

 

Charlie Hunter's Come As You Are

 

Alex Skolnick Trio - The Trooper

 

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Orion

 

Brad Mehldau - Black Hole Sun

 

Brad Mehldau - Exit Music

 

Brad Mehldau - Paranoid Android

 

I like King Curtis and the Kingpins cover of A Whiter Shade of Pale.