Are any recent popular hits worth jazzifying?

**West LA Jazz** · 10-04-2018, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by KirkP

When I started this thread,by “recent popular hits” I was thinking of today’s hits, not stuff from 30 or more years ago. Billboard lists today’s top pop tunes and lets you listen to samples.
Pop Music: Top Pop Songs Chart | Billboard
After a couple of dozen samples I realized it’s hopeless. I’m sure a lot of great new tunes out there, but they don’t seem to make the hit lists.

If this is the case, the answer is tremendously simple. Just stick with the top 20 songs from each week and you'll be absolutely in the sweet spot. What I've seen some guitarists do is take say an eminem song and literally make a close melody out of the spoken lyric. My Name Is would be a great start. And then you have spoken word guys like Drake who actually melody a rapped lyric. Talk about a crowd pleaser built right into your jazzified song.

**West LA Jazz** · 10-04-2018, 10:58 AM

Originally Posted by West LA Jazz

If this is the case, the answer is tremendously simple. Just stick with the top 20 songs from each week and you'll be absolutely in the sweet spot. What I've seen some guitarists do is take say an eminem song and literally make a close melody out of the spoken lyric. My Name Is would be a great start. And then you have spoken word guys like Drake who actually melody a rapped lyric. Talk about a crowd pleaser built right into your jazzified song.

PS:

Mono Neon the millennial bass player does this quite a bit in different situations. His range from one extreme to the crazy end of the spectrum.

Extrapolate to Billboard 100 hits.

+Maroon 5 is a can't miss band to choose from+

**West LA Jazz** · 10-04-2018, 11:30 PM

**Average Joe** · 10-05-2018, 07:54 AM

I'm sure a better player than me could make good jazz out of something like these

**Doctor Jeff** · 10-05-2018, 06:08 PM

The problem with jazzifying recent hits is that you actually have to listen to the original songs. That's the hard part.

Ahem.

Adele, Florence and the Machine, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars come to mind as fairly melodic stuff that might work. But to be honest there's just not too much Top 100 music I listen to today or think is worth a R$*#$ compared to music from 20, 30, 50 or even 70 years ago.

I mean, why jazzify Uptown Funk when you can play a version of Night Train? Or Thank Ya Falettin Me Be Myself Again? Or The World Is a Ghetto?