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Tag: revelatory covers

Revelatory covers (#23 in series – Brad Mehldau plays The Beatles)

Imagine (no, not that song) this:

The Tardis delivers a very surprised J.S Bach into the present day, with no briefing.

He finds himself seated at an interesting “new” keyboard – a grand piano.

Atop it is a device, pre-loaded with a diverse selection of music/s from the second half of the 20th century.

He is given absolutely no “background information”.

The printed instruction to him says, “press button to listen to these pieces, then improvise upon whichever one most pleases you”

JSB is intrigued by I Am The Walrus.

Q: what would he do with/to it?

A: perhaps, something like what you are about to hear….

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Revelatory covers (#20 in series): “I’ll Be Seeing You”, sans words, but really singing…

Arguably the quintessential nostalgic song, I’ll Be Seeing You was composed in 1938. (music by Sammy Fain, words by Irving Kahal)

That year it was inserted into a Broadway musical…which flopped.

The song, however, became a “standard”, covered by countless singers…and not a few instrumentalists.

It was a #1 hit for Bing Crosby in 1944.

Frank Sinatra recorded it more than once.

Even Eric Clapton did so, in 2016.

The most celebrated recording – Billie Holiday’s 1944 version – is the one which reached Mars in 2018, as the conclusion to NASA’s final transmission to its Explorer rover.

However, the most “out of this world” version to reach this Earthling’s ears is a “live” and exploratory instrumental trio treatment, delivered in “the city of fallen angels”, in June 2016.

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Revelatory Covers (#17 in series): “When You Come Back Down”

(the “metaphorical” featured image shows climbers on what many believe to be the world’s tallest sheer rock-face…it isn’t)

This very poignant song was written a quarter of a century ago.

Its co-authors, separately, have recorded it, but the most celebrated version is a “cover”, issued 20 years ago.

None of those recordings quite “nailed” it, I think.

As of February 21, 2021, there is a “definitive” version, performed “live”…

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Revelatory covers (15th in series): “Oblivion”, twice

 

Oblivion is a 1982 composition by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), Nuevo tango’s pre-eminent composer and bandoneon virtuoso.

Perhaps his most uncanny piece, it has survived/endured countless covers.

Some of its finest interpreters are not Argentinian, and although one of this post’s two very different versions does feature a “squeezebox”, it is not a bandoneon.

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Revelatory Covers (14th in series): Brian, Fred, Thelonious,Ruby

Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) is one of my favourite composers.

Ruby, My Dear has always been one of my favourite Monk ballads.

Among living pianists, Fred Hersch has, I think, proved the most consistently rewarding interpreter of Monk.

Until a few weeks ago, I had never heard Brian Landrus; I have heard literally thousands of Monk “covers”, but none lovelier than the one which concludes Brian’s new album.

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Revelatory Covers (12th in series): Bert, NOT covering Roberta

Chances are, you know this song via Roberta Flack’s hushed, reverent “1972” version.

(Her 1969 version became a hit in 1972, thanks to Clint Eastwood)

Lovely as hers is, it inhabits an utterly different musical world to that of Ewan MacColl’s Scottish-folksong-ish 1957 original.

In 1973 Bert Jansch recorded his singular, Scottish-folkish version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.

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