Possessing a whisper-soft voice and sweetly melodic trumpet tone, Chet Baker (1929-1988) had a sound that is often imitated yet almost impossible to master. For the latest edition of Blue Note’s https://www.bluenote.com/artist/blue-note-reimagined/" rel="nofollow - Re:imagined https://www.bluenote.com/artist/blue-note-reimagined/" rel="nofollow - series , in which the jazz label invites artists to produce cover versions of its back catalogue, 15 R&B, pop, soul and jazz artists have been given the unenviable task of interpreting Baker’s repertoire – with often surprising results.
The trumpeter-vocalist’s supple take on jazz standards is well reflected in singer https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/09/dodie-build-a-problem-review-dodie-clark-debut" rel="nofollow - Dodie ’s delicate version of https://www.google.com/search?q=dodie&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB940GB940&oq=Dodie&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAY4wIYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAY4wIYsQMYgAQyCggBEC4YsQMYgAQyBwgCEC4YgAQyBwgDEC4YgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEC4YgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEC4YgAQyBwgIEC4YgAQyBwgJEC4YgATSAQkyNDMwajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBYZC7bJau7qQ8QWGQu2yWru6kA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:cfa181e3,vid:TCBuJTkpTss,st:0" rel="nofollow - Old Devil Moon as she emphasises the original’s swaying Latin percussion. British singer-songwriter Matt Maltese’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0FxIKy3Gss" rel="nofollow - My Funny Valentine adds a beautifully elegiac guitar line to the well-worn melody. Other approaches work less well, with US singer https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/may/21/one-to-watch-mxmtoon-rising" rel="nofollow - Mxmtoon ’s clean vocal tone overpowering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxD_eFrQgVg" rel="nofollow - I Fall In Love Too Easily ’s sense of wistful romance.
But for every misstep there’s another gem. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/13/ezra-collective-dance-no-ones-watching-mercury-prize-youth-clubs" rel="nofollow - Ezra Collective trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi’s bass-heavy version of the swinging https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-kRrKKUYyo&list=OLAK5uy_lf48DnjO-Fyp4kpfyidZKGSOvaVFjiMZc&index=1" rel="nofollow - Speak Low is a revelation, while Puma Blue’s It’s Always You is unsettlingly dark and reverb-laden. The Re:imagined project ultimately serves to highlight that while few can match Baker’s sound, stretching, expanding and responding to it can produce fresh delights.
from https://www.theguardian.com