Verve Remixed

[NickNack]

Marky: You were talking about the Verve Remixed set a few months back. Can't remember which lady you fell in love with. I've been playing them both for two days. Gotta say I really like the bulk of the interpretations. Right now I'll take Vol. 1 over Vol. 2, but it's early.

Notes:

Willie Bobo - "Spanish Grease" I'd be all over the dancefloor. This is tough.

Astrud Gilberto - "Who Needs Forever" My favorite word... haunting.

Dinah Washington - "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" Works for me. I'd play it just to see if the crowd could deal.

Nina Simone - "See-Line Woman" MAW really did a nice job on this, even giving you that 'anthem' length at over 10 minutes.

Anybody else heard these and are there other projects out there similar to this? I've seen a lot of CDs where djs have taken older music and tried to 'club it up' but the reviews were, in the majority, not favorable. What's nice about the Verve stuff is it's not all about the '4/4' and forcing the original over, under or around it. I'm hooked.

[K-Bee]

Hey Nicky,

Blue Note had a similar album out entitled "Blue Note Revisited" with mixes of Wayne Shorter, Gene Harris, Grant Green and a whole lot of others. Mixes are by the likes of Kyoto Jazz Massive & Osunlade so there's a good chance you'll like this one as well.

[markydefad]

Nicky, my fave was from volume 2---the remix of Sarah Vaughan's "Whatever Lola Wants" in the style of "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" by Grace Jones. Loved it.

[Graham_Start]

I saw volume 1 when it came out, and thought "Hoo boy, another collection of classics that have been chopped up and set to generic beats". But after hearing "Who Needs Forever" at a friend's, I ran out and bought the album. Very nice, and tastefully done. I was pleasantly surprised...

So, I was all the more disappointed with volume 2, which for the most part is generic and boring club fodder that obliterates the original track. Curiously, my copy of volume 2 was bundled with the "unmixed" versions... on one hand, this means that the purchase wasn't a complete write-off, but on the other, I don't understand why they needed to remind me of just what a horrible job the butchers -- I mean, remixers -- did with these songs.

[Forrrce]

O, the relentless urge to 'contemporise'. Funny how the faddy remixes never stand the test of time, like the originals. The 'co-ordinator' of a label compilation I did several years ago expressed an interest in getting X and Y house producers to remix my selection - I told him NO. I'm currently in talks for a similar project (a jazz label, this time) and again, the dreaded 'R-word' has been mentioned. They'll hear my foot coming down in Japan.

[NickNack]

K-Bee: Thanks for the tip. I'll check that one out.

Graham: I agree. Vol. 1 really had me listening and taking an interest in what they tried to accomplish with the mix. Vol. 2 continues to be a let down. "Who Needs Forever" is mesmerizing.

Forrrce: I hear you loud and clear. That's exactly why I don't shell out for all these 'remixed classics' they put out there. The originals hold up well enough for me.

[jazz_pilgrim]

I have just got back from a trip to Poland where i picked up the Verve UNmixed Cds 1 and 2! And amazingly enough - I was listening to one of them as I came across this message - Willie Bobo's Spanish Grease , which still stands the test of time for me!!

:D :D

I have heard one of the Verve remixed tracks and that was the remix of Astrud Gilberto's Who Needs Forever - which I found quite interesting. Sort of haunting I recall.

I also recall the D'Influence CD a couple of years back - where they did new versions of tracks like Midnight And You (Love Unlimited Orch) and Taste Of Bitter Love (Gladys Knight). They were pretty decent I thought - though I do prefer the originals I must admit!

And I did hear on London radio last year a SUPERB reworking of Earth Wind and Fire's Fantasy by Blaze - they took the original instrumentation and extended (not remixed, note, but extended) the track to over 6 mins by adding in instrumental passages from the original masters. Had there been an original 6 min 12-inch of Fantasy - this is how it would have sounded, for sure! Excellent!

:)

[K-Bee]

I also recall the D'Influence CD a couple of years back - where they did new versions of tracks like Midnight And You (Love Unlimited Orch) and Taste Of Bitter Love (Gladys Knight). They were pretty decent I thought - though I do prefer the originals I must admit!

[/b]

Was that the D-Vas album?? Still trying to find that over here. :roll:

[judydoggie]

My rating: Okay, a danceable album with more creativity used than most in the genre (mixing up standards). I can't wait to go out and buy Vol. 1 now that I know "Who Needs Forever" is on it and that the entire record is better than Vol. 2, according to the posts hereinabove. Astrud Gilberto was one of the coolest women in the world and her voice and delivery are timeless to this day. I defy some of these pouty "queens of cool" including Madonna, to deliver a song with the effortless, way-ahead-of-her-time hip that Gilberto did on a consistent basis. I receive a lot of promotional product from Verve and I'm very surprised that Vol. 1 slipped through the cracks (unless one of my employees stole it).

Finally, for slower jams that are just as creative, Lee Ritenour produced a record called "A Twist of Motown" for grp, a label owned by Verve. It's worth giving a listen; Ritenour appears on it, as well as gerald albright, dave grusin, brenda russell, and a host of other stellar jazz artists. Happy listening!

[Nano]

Another CD on this vein is the Red+Hot+Brazil of the Red+Hot series, a tribute to bossa nova with plenty of old Brazilian stars (including Astrud Gilberto), trendy American musicians (David Byrne, Ryuichi Sakamoto, etc.) and lounge-like remixes.

Two other tracks I would reccomend:

1) "So what (jazz mix)" by Ronny Jordan - an acid jazz take on the Miles Davis classic that opened his Kind of Blue album.

2) "The Child" by Alex Gopher - a French DJ that sampled Billie Holiday's classic "God bless the child" and did a very good dance track with it.

[judydoggie]

Dear Nano: Please be more specific about the "Red+Hot+Brazil" album. I've tried substituting "+" with "&" and have had no luck. Could it be that it's out of print? Anything with Astrud on it lights my fire. David Byrne's just the icing on the cake!. I'd love more info if you've got time. Thanks.

[Nano]

Well, actually it's called "Red Hot+Rio" and yes, the "+" sign is a trademark of the whole series (you probably remember "Red+Hot+Dance" with then-new tracks by George Michael and Madonna's version of Marvin Gaye's "I want you" remixed by Massive Attack).
Here's "Red Hot+Rio" tracklist, as released in 1996:

1 Use Your Head Money Mark 2:47
2 Corcovado Everything But the Girl 3:56
3 Desafinado Astrud Gilberto ... 3:20
Performed by: Astrud Gilberto, George Michael
4 Non-Fiction Burning PM Dawn, Flora Purim ... 4:31
Performed by: PM Dawn, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira
5 The Boy from Ipanema Crystal Waters 4:24
6 Interlude :14
7 Segurança Maxwell 3:29
8 É Precisco Perdoar Cesaria Evora ... 6:01
Performed by: Cesaria Evora, Caetano Veloso, Ryuichi Sakamoto (Nano's Note: best pairing and best track of this CD)
9 Interlude :33
10 Water to Drink Ana Caram, Incognito, Omar 4:19
11 Dancing Milton Nascimento 3:20
12 Insensatez Jobim, Antonio Carlos ... 3:44
Performed by: Jobim, Antonio Carlos, Sting
13 Waters of March (Aguas de Março) David Byrne, Marisa Monte 3:15
14 Interlude :25
15 One Note Samba/Surfboard Stereolab, Herbie Mann 7:18
16 Interlude :21
17 Black Orpheus Dub Mad Professor 3:59
18 Maracatu Atomico Chico Science ... 4:27
Performed by: Chico Science, DJ Soul Slinger
19 Sambadrome Funk 'N Lata :58
20 Refazenda Gilberto Gil 4:00
21 Preciso Dizer Que Te Amo Cazuza, Bebel Gilberto 4:42

You can find it easily in AllMusic.com. Enjoy! 8)