Four Interesting Covers [by Lewis Saul]

A cover song is a new recording of a previously released song that someone else wrote.

So the first two examples don't really fit that definition -- they are more like transformations:

1. Miles Davis was 19-years-old when he took the bandstand with Charlie Parker and played this solo on the tune Now's the Time from 1945:
       Now let us travel forward to 1958 when Miles recorded Straight No Chaser. This is Red Garland, playing Miles's famous solo in block chords.
   
2. Let's listen to Bird playing a solo on Lady Be Good from 1946 ...
       And now listen to Eddie Jefferson putting words to the solo from the James Moody album Cookin' the Blues from 1961. [thanks to Jamie Katz for turning me on to this ...]
3. Whoosh, back to 1930! Duke Ellington's Rockin' in Rhythm.
       And now Weather Report's cover from the 1980 album Night Passage. Listen to how Zawinul & Co. transformed all those big-band sounds into an exciting modern sonic palette.
4. Ellington again -- this time from 1927! East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
       And in the sole track from Steely Dan's discography without lyrics, we get another amazing modern cover with guitars replacing saxes, from the album Pretzel Logic (1974) -- remaining amazingly faithful to the original.

Comments

[Karen Beckworth]

Great post! I love the music and will follow your suggestions. Carla says hello.

[betsy Retallack]

https://youtu.be/VPLCk-FTVvw
Jacob Collier is a master of covers
Here is Moon River which won a Grammy award

[Lewis Saul]

Yes, Jacob is wonderful! Moon River is a mind-blowing video. Since there are no tuned instruments, he makes microtonal modulations with the voices. Henry Mancini would surely approve!