Chickity China, the Chinese chicken. Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Emma Smith take on the Barenaked Ladies’ 1998 track One Week, revamping the fast-talking pop hit in the jazzy style of a 1940s lounge act. It’s another brilliant performance from Scott Bradlee’s retro cover band.
The Foo Fighters’ track Everlong is already a pretty emotive song. But vocalist Anthony Vincent has taken things to a whole other level, turning the tune into a smooth and soulful jazz ballad with the help of producer and pianist Joey Izzo.
The music from the Super Mario Bros. games can be energetic and uplifting. But it can also be quite relaxing. If you need to calm your nerves on a hard day, all you need is to hit play on this clip, and you’ll get 75 minutes of the chillest Mario music ever. This is the music that spas should play while you get a massage.
Robyn Adele Anderson and her bandmates knocked it out of the park with this vintage Broadway-style performance of the My Chemical Romance hit Welcome to the Black Parade. That’s Demi Remick clacking her feet and proving what pop-punk always needed was more tap dancing.
Postmodern Jukebox might be a little late to the party with their cover of Kate Bush’s Running up That Hill, but they really nailed it. With warm and powerful lead vocals by Sweet Megg, they performed this wonderfully interpretation of the track deftly blending western and jazz styles courtesy of arranger Scott Bradlee.
Nyan Cat was one of the biggest memes to hit YouTube in its early days. The animation was known for its pixel art kitty, endless rainbows, and an infectious soundtrack. The Nate Sparks Big Band took that tune and turned it into an incredible 7-minute jazz jam.
This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard Black Sabbath’s music turned into jazz. But Jazz Sabbath created an entire album of Ozzy and company’s metal reworked into a concert-worthy jazz performance. Seriously, this is some really great music, so consider making a purchase from their Bandcamp page.
Throughout his 60-year jazz career, double bass maestro Ron Carter has always been the coolest cat in the room. To celebrate his 85th birthday, the national treasure jams supreme in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert filmed onstage at the Blue Note Jazz Club. The jazz deity will be fêted at Carnegie Hall on 5.10.22.
A rambling, improvisational style is a trademark of jazz saxophone great John Coltrane’s sound, making them notoriously difficult for others to perform. Listen as harmonica player Cy Leo shows off his incredible breath control as he keeps perfect time with a passage from Coltrane’s 1960 classic Giant Steps.
Dustin over at There I Ruined It absolutely annihilates another classic song by turning it into the worst version of itself. His terrible Dixieland jazz version of Queen’s We Will Rock You will certainly have Freddie Mercury turning over in his grave.
Louis Zong presents a magnificent medley of tunes from the world of Yoshi, performed in the style of jazz great Django Reinhardt. The tracks include music from the soundtracks of Yoshi’s Crafted World, Yoshi’s Island DS, Yoshi’s Cookie, Yoshi’s Story, and Yoshi’s Island. The EP is available for download from Bandcamp.
Need to take the edge off of a hard week? Put on your headphones, take a sip of your favorite spirit, and listen to some smooth jams from the Monster Quintet. This series of easy listening musical interludes was produced for the Sesame Place theme parks back in the 1980s and is a must-watch Muppet fans.
(PG-13: Language) If Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz recorded music back in the 1930s, it might have sounded something like this. There I Ruined It took the 2009 track Get Low and crunked it up swing style. Skeet-skeet that slide whistle!
New Orleans is home to some of the world’s most talented musicians. Sid Kuhn shared this street performance by Doreen Ketchens belting out one of the best and raspiest clarinet solos in a cover of The Animals’ House of the Rising Sun. We recommend listening to the complete performance, but the solo hits at 3:33.
Musician and remix artist The Kiffness takes on a classic meme video, adding a chill rhythm and trumpet to the Light Jazz Glove Box video by stuffwhatidone. We could listen to this smooth groove all day. Kiff, we suggest you do the Chewbacca cabinet next.
Artist Michael “Komboh” Mateyko created these unique playing cards that celebrate jazz music. Each card features dynamic illustrations and hand-drawn numbering inspired by the improvisational style of jazz greats like Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. Printed by the USPCC on custom thin card stock.
Cy Leo, Ivan Chong, Jerry Wong, and Ramiel Leung of the quartet Perfect Fourth turn in a perfectly executed cover version of the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s cool jazz classic Take Five, replacing the piano, drums, flute, and alto sax of the original with harmonicas. They also do a mean version of the William Tell Overture.
Scary Pockets presents a sublime new take on the Tears for Fears hit Everybody Wants to Rule the World. With Cory Henry kicking ass on keys and lead vocals, we can’t help but think this is how Stevie Wonder would have recorded this song.
Comedian Taylor aka Itzabennie possesses a unique talent. She can put her lips together and blow in just the right way to make them sound like exactly like a trumpet. After you enjoy some Benny Goodman, how about the Imperial March or La Vie en Rose?
December 2020 marks the 100th birthday of jazz musician Dave Brubeck. To celebrate this occasion, we present this unique version of his track Take Five, as performed by Pakistan’s Sachal Studios Orchestra. There’s something about the twang of a sitar that always draws us in.
Among his many talents, musician Jacob Collier is known for his multitrack music videos. While quarantined at home, he and his three identical (virtual) twins performed this stellar NPR Tiny Desk Concert that showcases his diverse musical skills through three smooth and enveloping tunes.
Minutes before COVID-19 shutdowns started, at The Magic Bag in Detroit, the Squirrel Nut Zippers made this video of “La Grippe,” a macabre ditty about the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. The infectious song originally appeared on the band’s debut album and will inevitably rock the setlist for the “Inevitable 25th Anniversary Tour.”