SCOTT BRADLEE’S POST MODERN JUKEBOX - The Essentials II
CONCORD RECORDS
There wasn’t a list of musicians on the CD – but a Wikipedia page lists around 40 musicians who has joined the rotating cast of Scott Bradlee’s ensemble, and around 80 vocalists. So, it is fair to say that this is a large and ever-changing collective or, as Bradlee says in his liner notes ‘it takes a village to bring the Postmodern Jukebox universe to life’. This album is a collection of 18 songs drawn from previous releases and showcasing the approach that the Postmodern Jukebox takes: contemporary tunes (from the pop charts and rock anthems) are re-arranged into styles that range from Big Band Swing, to 1930s jazz, to doowop to Motown and Stax Soul. There is a good humoured disrespect for the tunes, never going as far as to lampoon the originals but always seeking to provoke a smile of recognition and then a double-take as the tune develops. You can get a good appreciation of their approach (and the sort of reaction they get from audiences) from looking at some of their YouTube videos.
It wasn’t obvious to me how the choice of musical style was selected for each of the tunes, so why ‘Thriller’ begins with the intro like a Louis Jordan tune before veering off into some banjo frenzy, or why other tunes are interpreted as doo-wop. Many of the tunes here adapt easily to their new setting. My feeling is that this is less to do with the quality of the original tunes and more to do with the way in which Bradlee shores up their imperfections with his own twists, turns and tweaks. On a couple of occasions, the tweaking is less successful (a verison of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ tried to be an emotive torch song but just felt a tad disrespectful). The band is currently on a UK tour, so check them out and see how their treatments of contemporary tunes work for you.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
CONCORD RECORDS
There wasn’t a list of musicians on the CD – but a Wikipedia page lists around 40 musicians who has joined the rotating cast of Scott Bradlee’s ensemble, and around 80 vocalists. So, it is fair to say that this is a large and ever-changing collective or, as Bradlee says in his liner notes ‘it takes a village to bring the Postmodern Jukebox universe to life’. This album is a collection of 18 songs drawn from previous releases and showcasing the approach that the Postmodern Jukebox takes: contemporary tunes (from the pop charts and rock anthems) are re-arranged into styles that range from Big Band Swing, to 1930s jazz, to doowop to Motown and Stax Soul. There is a good humoured disrespect for the tunes, never going as far as to lampoon the originals but always seeking to provoke a smile of recognition and then a double-take as the tune develops. You can get a good appreciation of their approach (and the sort of reaction they get from audiences) from looking at some of their YouTube videos.
It wasn’t obvious to me how the choice of musical style was selected for each of the tunes, so why ‘Thriller’ begins with the intro like a Louis Jordan tune before veering off into some banjo frenzy, or why other tunes are interpreted as doo-wop. Many of the tunes here adapt easily to their new setting. My feeling is that this is less to do with the quality of the original tunes and more to do with the way in which Bradlee shores up their imperfections with his own twists, turns and tweaks. On a couple of occasions, the tweaking is less successful (a verison of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ tried to be an emotive torch song but just felt a tad disrespectful). The band is currently on a UK tour, so check them out and see how their treatments of contemporary tunes work for you.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
