Jazz Covers: Remakes or Reinterpretations?
Continuing our great discussion from the Shazam This! review of Amber Mark’s version of “Love Is Stronger Than Pride,” DLT basically asks: “Do we hold jazz covers of popular classics to the same standard as renditions made by other artists?”
DLT: You know how we’ve been discussing and critiquing remakes of some of our favorite classic songs by new-age, young whippersnappers 😆, such as Amber’s version of Sade’s classic? Well, how do you feel about jazz or instrumental remakes of such songs? Is there less “pressure”—meaning fewer “fan expectations”—on the jazz artist’s rendition?
TG: You mean less pressure than we would put on Amber Mark to not mess up "Love Is Stronger Than Pride," or for Lauryn Hill to deliver on the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly"? (Thank God for that woman!) Why would we cut the jazz artist more slack than we would anyone daring to touch a classic?
DLT: Just saying. On jazz remakes, are the musicians granted a little more artistic expression if no vocalist is included (which often plays a major part in our “acceptions” or expectations, or even disapproval, if the new vocalist is attempting to “honor or butcher” our beloved classics)?
TG: To be honest, I don't know if it's the "no vocalist" thing so much as just the nature of jazz music. I think people may be willing to give more leeway to this form of music, and judge it less, because jazz is supposed to be weird and expressive and whatnot. People see jazz as something different, maybe even a bit mysterious...and so they judge it that way. (Or maybe avoid judging it altogether, because they don't really understand it? Just a theory.)
DLT: So, if an instrument merely replaces the authentic sound of our singer’s voice in the lyric-less jazz version, are we more forgiving, or allowing of these remakes, renditions, or covers? (And it seems to me that there is an instrumental jazz or easy listening version of almost every song ever created!!) 🤭🥴
TG: (You are probably right about that—it’s fodder for endless discussions!) The "blanket of mystery" does allow jazz musicians, to some degree, to get away with things that our normal musicians might fall under more scrutiny for. (Like rendering a less than stellar remake of a pop classic.) Pretty much by default, anything that jazz touches is not a "remake" so much as a "reinterpretation" at best. It's really just using that original song as a jumping-off point to do some other, "jazz-type" stuff. So yeah, I feel there's an understanding of, and allowance for, that.
One other point I’d like to make—and this is me getting a bit critical and on a high-horse—is that, as a lifelong jazz lover, I still sometimes chuckle at how corny-sounding jazz can be in its attempt to appeal to non- or casual jazz listeners. That’s how you get remakes featuring instrumentation that’s simply there to stand in for what would have been the vocal. But as I wrote above, it’s not supposed to be that way. As evidenced by the playlist below, there are some truly awe-inspiring instrumental performances that take their songs to a whole different place.
This is what jazz covers are supposed to be—reinterpretations, not just unimaginative “remakes.”
The Playlist…
Okay, no big “rabbithole” lessons this time. Just a great Spotify playlist of handpicked classics from my personal collection—each followed by an impressive instrumental jazz "reinterpretation" of that song. I took care to feature songs that have been classics of pop & rock music—as well as a couple of classic showtunes. No songs that were originally jazz classics, or “standards.” (Although that too would make for a fascinating list + discussion!)
Two of the most famous “original & cover” combos on this list are “My Favorite Things” (original from The Sound of Music, cover by John Coltrane), and “Someday My Prince Will Come” (original from Snow White, cover by Miles Davis). Yeah…the showtunes!
Why is that? Not sure…but maybe it has to do with those songs having been around forever, and being attached to larger, just-as-popular vehicles—giving them a potentially broader audience for the covers. Enjoy and discuss!