‘Elemental' Review: Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap's Inventive Interpretations
The songs that constitute the Great American Songbook will bend, but they won't break. This body of music is infinitely flexible. You can take a number by Duke Ellington or Cole Porter and reinterpret it—or twist it around until it's barely recognizable—in a way I wouldn't advise trying with a composition by Beethoven or even John Lennon.
On their new album, 'Elemental,' singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianist Bill Charlap push interpretation to its limits, starting with some very familiar jazz standards. Rather than digging down into their chord changes and devising new melodies on top of them, as has come to be the common practice in the modern jazz era, they create variations on the tunes as originally written.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
31 minutes ago
- CNN
Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died. A statement posted to Bad Company's official website Monday announced Ralphs' death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance with the band at London's O2 Arena in 2016, and had been bedridden ever since, the statement said. No further details on the circumstances of his death were provided. Ralphs is set to become a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company in November. 'Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground,' Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers said in a statement. 'He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour.' Ralphs wrote the 1970's song 'Ready for Love' for Mott the Hoople, later revamped for Bad Company's 1974 debut album, which also included the Ralphs-penned hit 'Can't Get Enough.' He co-wrote Bad Company's 1975 classic 'Feel Like Makin' Love' with Rodgers. Born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England, Ralphs began playing blues guitar as a teenager, and in his early 20s in 1966, he co-founded the Doc Thomas Group. In 1969, the band would become Mott the Hoople, a name taken from the title and title character of a 1966 novel by Willard Manus. The group's self-titled first album, recorded in a week, won a cult following, but the two that followed were critical and financial flops. They finally found popular success and became glam-rock giants with the 1972 David Bowie-penned-and-produced song 'All the Young Dudes.' But Ralphs felt creatively cramped in the band led by singer-songwriter Ian Hunter and left in 1973. He would soon form Bad Company with Rodgers, a singer who had left his own band, Free. The two had intended only to write songs together, and possibly to make a one-off album as a project. But when Free drummer Simon Kirke asked to sit in, they realized they were nearly a proper group already and went seeking a bassist. They found him in former King Crimson member Boz Burrell. 'We didn't actually plan to have a band,' Ralphs said in a 2015 interview with Gibson Guitars. 'It was all kind of accidental I suppose. Lucky, really.' Kirke said in a statement Monday that Ralphs was 'a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply.' Bad Company found immediate success. Its albums were full of radio-ready anthems, and its live sound was perfectly suited to the 1970s height of arena rock. Their self-titled debut album went to No. 1 on Billboard's album chart. And Ralphs' 'Can't Get Enough' — often mistakenly called 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love' because of its chorus lyrics — would be their biggest hit single, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'We actually did the whole thing in one take live,' Ralphs said in the Gibson interview. 'It wasn't perfect, but we just said, 'Yeah, that's great, it's going to capture the moment.' That's what I like to do in recording. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as it captures the moment. That's what it's all about.' Bad Company's 1975 follow-up, 'Straight Shooter,' was also a hit, going to No. 3 on album charts in both the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and the UK Albums Chart. Its opening track, 'Good Lovin' Gone Bad,' written by Ralphs, was a modest hit, and the song that followed it, 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' was a big one that would remain in rotation on classic rock radio for decades. The band's statement says Ralphs is survived by 'the love of his life,' his wife Susie Chavasse, along with two children, three step-children and 'beloved bandmates' Rodgers and Kirke. 'Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh,' Rodgers said. 'But it won't be our last.'
CNN
33 minutes ago
- CNN
Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died. A statement posted to Bad Company's official website Monday announced Ralphs' death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance with the band at London's O2 Arena in 2016, and had been bedridden ever since, the statement said. No further details on the circumstances of his death were provided. Ralphs is set to become a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company in November. 'Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground,' Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers said in a statement. 'He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour.' Ralphs wrote the 1970's song 'Ready for Love' for Mott the Hoople, later revamped for Bad Company's 1974 debut album, which also included the Ralphs-penned hit 'Can't Get Enough.' He co-wrote Bad Company's 1975 classic 'Feel Like Makin' Love' with Rodgers. Born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England, Ralphs began playing blues guitar as a teenager, and in his early 20s in 1966, he co-founded the Doc Thomas Group. In 1969, the band would become Mott the Hoople, a name taken from the title and title character of a 1966 novel by Willard Manus. The group's self-titled first album, recorded in a week, won a cult following, but the two that followed were critical and financial flops. They finally found popular success and became glam-rock giants with the 1972 David Bowie-penned-and-produced song 'All the Young Dudes.' But Ralphs felt creatively cramped in the band led by singer-songwriter Ian Hunter and left in 1973. He would soon form Bad Company with Rodgers, a singer who had left his own band, Free. The two had intended only to write songs together, and possibly to make a one-off album as a project. But when Free drummer Simon Kirke asked to sit in, they realized they were nearly a proper group already and went seeking a bassist. They found him in former King Crimson member Boz Burrell. 'We didn't actually plan to have a band,' Ralphs said in a 2015 interview with Gibson Guitars. 'It was all kind of accidental I suppose. Lucky, really.' Kirke said in a statement Monday that Ralphs was 'a dear friend, a wonderful songwriter, and an exceptional guitarist. We will miss him deeply.' Bad Company found immediate success. Its albums were full of radio-ready anthems, and its live sound was perfectly suited to the 1970s height of arena rock. Their self-titled debut album went to No. 1 on Billboard's album chart. And Ralphs' 'Can't Get Enough' — often mistakenly called 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love' because of its chorus lyrics — would be their biggest hit single, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 'We actually did the whole thing in one take live,' Ralphs said in the Gibson interview. 'It wasn't perfect, but we just said, 'Yeah, that's great, it's going to capture the moment.' That's what I like to do in recording. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as it captures the moment. That's what it's all about.' Bad Company's 1975 follow-up, 'Straight Shooter,' was also a hit, going to No. 3 on album charts in both the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and the UK Albums Chart. Its opening track, 'Good Lovin' Gone Bad,' written by Ralphs, was a modest hit, and the song that followed it, 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' was a big one that would remain in rotation on classic rock radio for decades. The band's statement says Ralphs is survived by 'the love of his life,' his wife Susie Chavasse, along with two children, three step-children and 'beloved bandmates' Rodgers and Kirke. 'Our last conversation a few days ago we shared a laugh,' Rodgers said. 'But it won't be our last.'
Forbes
44 minutes ago
- Forbes
Mariska Hargitay's ‘My Mom Jayne' Premieres On Streaming This Week
Mariska Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield in "My Mom Jayne." My Mom Jayne, a documentary about the late Jayne Mansfield by her daughter, Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay, premieres on streaming on Max this week. Directed and produced by Hargitay, My Mom Jayne made its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in May. The official summary for the documentary reads in part, 'In her feature film directorial debut — and the first time she has delved into her mother Jayne Mansfield's story — Mariska Hargitay searches for the mother she never knew almost six decades after the Hollywood legend's tragic death. 'Through intimate interviews and an extensive collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, she grapples with her mother's complicated public and private legacy, uncovering the surprising layers and depth of who Jayne was, not only to her fans, but also to those closest to her.' Warner Bros. Discovery announced in early June that My Mom Jayne will begin streaming on Friday, June 27, on Max and will air on HBO linear that evening from 8 to 10 p.m. ET/PT. For viewers who don't subscribe to Max, the platform has three subscription tiers to choose from. An ad-based tier is $9.99 per month, an ad-free tier is $16.99 per month and an ad-free tier with 4K Ultra HD programming is $20.99 per month. Mariska Hargitay Interviewed Her Siblings For 'My Mom Jayne' The official summary for My Mom Jayne from Max also reads that Mariska Hargitay 'was three years old when her mother, Jayne Mansfield, tragically died in a car accident at the age of 34 — leaving behind five children. 'The film follows Mariska as she seeks to answer her long-held questions about her mother and integrate the truths she uncovers into her own sense of self. As she explores the complexities behind who Jayne Mansfield was in public, she reckons with the persona that Jayne created, but was later desperate to escape.' Per Max, Mariska Hargitay interviews her siblings Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay, Jr., Zoltan Hargitay and Tony Cimber for My Mom Jayne. Additionally, Mariska Hargitay interviews her stepmother, Ellen Hargitay, for the documentary, as well as Jayne Mansfield's press representative Raymond 'Rusty' Strait. My Mom Jayne will also include photos of Jayne Mansfield, as well as some of her personal letters and belongings. In addition, the documentary will include talk show and interview footage of the film star from the 1950s and '60s. Rated TV-MA, My Mom Jayne, directed by Mariska Hargitay, will arrive on Max on Friday and will begin airing on HBO linear the same day at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
