In 1984, George Michael, the well known and beloved pop star from my mother’s era, released his hit “Careless Whisper”. The saxophone riff in the intro is possibly one of the most iconic saxophone riffs of all time, known well by all band kids who had to deal with the saxophone players blasting it on their horns in the hallways. The song is iconic in itself, with the smooth, yet a bit antique, feel of the pop ballad. In 2014, the vintage cover band Postmodern Jukebox turned the slow 80’s ballad into an upbeat 1930’s ragtime jazz tune. The quick beat of the pianist’s left hand on the keys instantly shows the vast differences between the original and the cover, and the saxophone riff is slightly changed from the original croon of George Michael’s version. However, despite the differences and the risks of a making a cover, as said by the NPR episode “Take Me On: The Art of The Cover Song”, I think that Postmodern Jukebox pulls this one off. The entire point of this cover band is to take classic and beloved songs, old and new, and put an entirely different spin on them, usually some sort of jazz take. Maybe my jazz piano background gives me a bias, but to me, this is such a cool idea – still honoring the original song by not changing any of the large elements, but putting a something as classic 80’s pop ballad into an entirely different feel and still making it work. Especially with a song like “Careless Whisper”, where the song sounds very studio-produced with plenty of synthesizer, recreating it in its own glory with just a classic jazz trio (piano, bass, drums) and, of course, saxophone, the effect is quite remarkable. This is interestingly comparable with Taylor Swift’s highly controversial cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s “September”, where she also changes the instruments and feel of the song, in her case from peppy brass to a banjo. I would argue that this “Careless Whisper” cover scenario is far different – yes, the instruments were changed, and the song has an entirely different feel to it, but in my opinion it still honors the original. Postmodern Jukebox’s version shows a new dimension to the classic song and allows for some different dance moves, as well as just showing off some really strong jazz musicians.
