Pop Music Jazz Covers have recently become a trendy live music trend that allows musicians to perform popular hits with an elegant jazz flair. They provide a sophisticated touch and add classy sophistication to your event or function.
Manfred Eicher’s ECM label was renowned for its minimalist album covers resembling mini art pieces, as well as for its crystal-clear recordings. Here is a good example of such an approach.
1. 6iJazz – “Hey Ya”
Over the last few years, jazzy covers of modern pop tunes with 1920s-style videos have become an internet trend. This phenomenon can likely be traced to pianist Scott Bradlee’s ongoing project Postmodern Jukebox which features modern musicians performing his arrangements in period clothes while performing. While many videos from Iceland group 6iJazz are excellent, this particular one from 6iJazz especially stands out as it recreates Outkast’s Hey Ya with a smooth jazz style sure to please listeners.
6iJazz does an outstanding job at maintaining the original lyrics while creating an enjoyable soundscape, including trumpeter Sarah Blasko’s special solo during the final chorus that makes the track particularly captivating.
This cover may not be the first online, but it does a fine job of giving a classic tune an entirely fresh take. Another notable rendition is from Mat Weddle who performs it on guitar using extended harmonies and complex chord voicings characteristic of jazz music, along with fingerpicking techniques that create a very acoustic, laid back sound – making this version over two million views strong on YouTube and garnering praise from industry legends such as Quincy Jones! A must listen!
2. Taylor Eigsti & Becca Stevens – “Farewell”
Perform songs in a jazz style to add an air of elegance and sophistication to any event, particularly jazz pop covers performed by experienced jazz bands as background tunes while guests enjoy drinks and appetizers.
Taylor Eigsti has been playing piano since he was four, making him one of the youngest music prodigies of our time. Since then, he has collaborated with Grammy winner Chris Botti and vocalist Gretchen Parlato; in addition to these endeavors, Eigsti also leads workshops and master classes around the globe for 17 years and serves as an artist-in-residence at schools such as North Texas, UC Berkeley, Skidmore College, and NYU.
Postmodern Jukebox’s adaptation of Meghan Trainor’s 2014 single puts it into an early jazz context, using ragtime and stride piano arrangements to add new dimensions to this well-known hit song. This unique take offers new perspectives to this hit tune!
Danish vocalist Sinne Eeg presents an intimate version of an iconic Billie Holiday standard on her 2021 album Staying In Touch. Her ballad-esque rendition adds lyrics for added emotional depth; all together creating an amazing reinterpretation of an iconic hit!
3. Brad Mehldau – “Blackbird”
Blackbird, a piano ballad that dates back to folk music, has become a jazz standard with strong folk connections. Its upbeat lyrics focus on finding joy in everyday situations and have made this track popular among traditional and Dixieland jazz musicians alike. Billie Holiday made this tune famous; Danish vocalist Sinne Eeg recorded her version on her 2021 duo album Staying In Touch.
Jazz guitarists love this song as its chord progression utilizes II-V-I cadences. Bjork made her version famous with lush layers of electronics and background choir, yet trumpeter Dave Douglas strips away all that to reveal its emotional core. He uses both his trumpet and Chris Potter’s bass clarinet for an atmospheric and haunting rendition of this timeless classic.
The Girl from Ipanema may be disregarded by some jazz purists as elevator music, but its expert composition makes it perfect for improvisation. Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny famously covered this tune on his 2011 album What’s It All About.
4. Dirty Loops – “Rolling in the Deep”
Dirty Loops of Sweden – comprising Jonah Nilsson on vocals and piano), Henrik Linder and Aron Mellergrd – is best known for its jazz-fusion reharmonized covers of popular modern pop songs. Their arrangements incorporate elements from jazz/jazz fusion/gospel/funk/electronica/pop genres. Since becoming YouTube sensations they have gone on to tour worldwide selling-out crowds.
The band’s rendition of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” is an elegant ragtime number with dexterous vibrato from New York jazz musician Kate Davis as well as tight horn section and stride piano accompaniment. The tempo is slow while its rich harmonies create one of the most captivating renditions I have heard to date.
This cover of an Adele song showcases the band’s amazing jazz chops, especially from bassist Henrik Linder and pianist Jonah Nilsson. Their intricate harmonies and expansive basslines add an undeniable swagger to this take on an iconic pop tune.
This track is an outstanding demonstration of how mixing elements from swing and jazz genres can create an entirely different musical experience. Saxophones and trombones stand out, creating more of a traditional jazz ballad arrangement than its original club dance beat pulsation. Fans of smooth jazz should listen closely for Jacob Collier’s rendition which bridges contemporary sounds with timeless classic sounds from Stevie Wonder – definitely something not to be missed!
5. The Bad Plus – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Minnesota-Wisconsin trio Three Leg Torso released its major-label debut album in 2003 and rocked the jazz world. Boasting seven original tracks and three pop covers — such as Nirvana’s iconic song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — Three Leg Torso made history when they pioneered incorporating pop music elements into a standard piano trio format. Since then, their explorations and creativity have only increased; finding new corners to explore and turning, showing that its unique brand of post-bop can take any genre’s popular songs and make them its own.
Although this album is more focused than its predecessor, it still provides an exhilarating ride. Drummer Dave King creates an electric rock/jazz hybrid which pushes towards stardom without betraying core jazz values. Meanwhile bassist Reid Anderson adds fluid contours and expressive articulations which reframe each song’s tight melodies, while pianist Ethan Iverson uses block chords to transform melodies into modern jazz passacaglia.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” stands out on this album due to being one of the few features vocalist (and perhaps their most successful attempt). The result is an atmospheric yet faithful rendition that manages to stay true to its origins while taking listeners on an incredible ride from post-bop angularity to blues-inspired swing and back again – and that makes The Bad Plus such a dynamic force in music! Their unique ability to transform even pop hits into powerful jazz performances makes them such a force in modern jazz music that they make them such unpredictable yet formidable musical forces in music today!
6. Robert Glasper – “Maiden Voyage”
Robert Glasper masterfully blends two classic Herbie Hancock songs together into one powerful rendition of Maiden Voyage by fusing two melodies that share similar harmonic and rhythmic structures, creating an impressive rendition. It showcases how jazz music can influence modern popular music. This mix showcases how jazz style merges with pop music. Both melodies exhibit similar harmonic characteristics with rhythmic patterns reminiscent of jazz.
This cover song’s tempo is perfect for dancers and listeners who like moving to the beat, with tight bass and drums, an outstanding trumpet soloist, an extremely skilled saxophonist and well executed lyrics completing this highly enjoyable performance.
New York musicians love adding unique arrangements to iconic pop songs, and these arrangements are the perfect example. A pianist and vocalist use the original lyrics while adding a swing feel to the tune – providing listeners with something new while remembering why such songs became such favorites in the first place.
This arrangement of a popular modern song features both piano and drums in an engaging composition that also includes vocalist. She has a gorgeous voice, while the instrumentation swings along. Furthermore, there is extensive chromatic harmony, as well as double bass parts reminiscent of jazz arrangements – creating an effective combination of styles suitable for any playlist.