A singer who made the transition from jazz crooner to funk-edged soul singer (on Stax records, no less) completely plausible.
Four tracks will illustrate his mastery of both musical forms:
Apart from Sarah Vaughan, who did a few funk tracks (her version of the Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ being a prime example), I can’t think of any other jazz singers who were artistically successful in both arenas.
There is the odd one-off, such as Fred Astaire’s ‘Attitude Dancing’, but I must admit I’m a bit stumped. So – do readers know any jazz-to-funk transformations to rival Eckstine’s? Or do they all suffer from ‘Ethel Merman Syndrome’?
Four tracks will illustrate his mastery of both musical forms:
| Lady Luck | Well, I realise I’m defeated already. This is totally funky even though it is, on the face of it, a jazz track. |
| Summertime (with Benny Carter) | To me this is the definitive version. I realise it’s not considered a man’s song, but this is how, in my mind, the Platonic Form of the song would sound. |
| Third Child | Tough being the third child. From the sounds of it. This is quite a hard-hitting song in anyone’s books. |
| My Cherie Amour | There are other disco versions of this, but the Eckstine’s sonorous bass voice makes this version the weirdest. This track proves the old adage that you can take a crooner to funk, but you can’t stop him from doing that wobbly thing with his voice. |
Apart from Sarah Vaughan, who did a few funk tracks (her version of the Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ being a prime example), I can’t think of any other jazz singers who were artistically successful in both arenas.
There is the odd one-off, such as Fred Astaire’s ‘Attitude Dancing’, but I must admit I’m a bit stumped. So – do readers know any jazz-to-funk transformations to rival Eckstine’s? Or do they all suffer from ‘Ethel Merman Syndrome’?
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