It's Real Music - The New Jazz Standards

It's not just Gershwin, Mercer, and Porter. The new standards are creeping in from writers on the other side of the dial.

sketch by Scott Regan

I love hearing singers shape and personalize songs generally associated with The Great American Songbook. The Gershwins, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer among others. Night club jazz ala Frank Sinatra. 

Curtis Stigers did that Tuesday night at the Rochester International Jazz Fest in Kilbourn Hall.

Mix in Tom Waits, John Lennon and Sonny Bono and it really gets interesting. Start to hear very familiar songs in completely new ways.

Those songs that sounded like fluff on pop radio years ago can really shine when spiced up with a dash of camp, a note of courage, and given the full club treatment.

Maybe I was just not listening in the right way years ago, or since it's so familiar taking it out of context reveals a quality I missed, but Emilie-Claire Barlow's version of Sonny Bono's "The Beat Goes On", makes me smile more than that song ever has.

Trio of Oz, Curtis Stigers, Bill Frisell, Emilie-Clarire Barlow, just a few artists working a variety of songs from alternative sources into their jazz repertoire. 

Lest we not forget Sinatra worked in a little Beatles, too. His favorite Lennon/McCartney song was "Something". Gotta give him credit. He knew a good song.