Jazz Cover of Non-Jazz Tune Suggestions

[notdavey]

I have a new guitar-bass-drums Jazz Power Trio and we are working on a set of Originals and Covers. We want to do non-jazz songs that will work well as instrumental covers. If you are familiar with Charlie Hunter's Natty Dread (all Marley) record or problably closer to The Alex Sklonick Trio doing Sabbath, Scorpions and Ozzy tunes in a jazz context. I am looking for suggestions from my fellow bottom enders. I am playing electric and not upright.

Thanks in advance.

[JimK]

The Bad Plus (w/ acoustic instruments) did some of this-
"Iron Man"
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
"Heart Of Glass"

...I think "Frankenstein" (Edgar Winer Group) would be cool to try.

[bassicmelodies]

There are a few groups around here that do a lot of Radiohead covers as jazz tunes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYa7furgQsA

This is clever, could be done live.

Another thought would be to invert your concept. There's a lot of hip hop influenced jazz floating around my town, e.g. So what. Just a thought.

[Shakin-Slim]

I think most of the aforementioned songs as jazz covers only work because of their novelty. Something completely different done as jazz, quite often coming out funny. I would say try something like The Band's I Shall Be Released

[Passinwind]

For a different take on your concept, check out Jacqui Naylor's work. She puts pieces of classic rock arrangements under vocal jazz standards in a pretty cool way.

[Erik V]

I've had friends do Coldplay songs and have a lot of fun with it.

[Ed Fuqua]

Why not do tunes you like?

The earliest thing I've heard was the Keith Jarrett Trio (Charlie Haden and Paul Motian) doing Dylan's MY BACK PAGES off a record from the early 70s...

[TimmyBoomBoom]

Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson. Really. I start off doing a jazz walk in A minor. Then, in a soft Mel Torme kind of voice I sing: " I don't want you. I don't need you". I do "The Beautiful People. " in my best Dean Martin voice, as deep as I can sing it. I tell the audience that they're all "Beautiful". Then I sing "Now let's swing it just like Sammy and Dean!". At that point I do a decend going from E to Eb to D to Db counting 4 each time. Then back to my Mel Torme voice "Hey. You. What do ya say?..." Rinse and repeat

[notdavey]

Thanks all for your feedback and suggestions. I'm familar with the Bad Plus and Brad Melhdau's arrangements of Radiohead (and others). I love the hip hop vibe in jazz as well (Roy Hardgrove - RH Factor etc.). Harder to do in an instrumental power trio set up though.

[elgecko]

Check out the music playing in the background of this page:

http://www.hipkittyjazz.com/

[DWBass]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34AqFw3D78Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAq8UE1cglo